Friendly Adversary
by 104Arianna
Summary: Arthur's told that he cant last a week without Merlin, so he gives him the week off. Merlin takes the week to relax, but old and new enemies have other ideas. Disguised Merlin will tread carefully to protect both Arthur and his secret. Full summary inside
1. Trick or Treat?

**Author's Note**

**Been dying to write something again, but never came up with a good enough plot, etc. Then when I was sat on the sofa watching the 'Merlin' Season 4 trailer, it just came to me. I'm only posting the first chapter at the moment to find the reactions of reader's to the general idea of the story. If it gets good enough popularity then I'll continue it. If not I'll come up with another story soon enough.**

**Thanks for everyone for reviewing on 'Reclaiming Camelot'! I seriously never expected that much of a great reaction from all you brilliant readers! :)**

**Summary**

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret. **

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><p>"Merlin, why is it so hard to go and get a few simple chores done?" came the voice of Camelot's heir to the throne.<p>

"Like…what exactly?" the tall, skinny serving boy asked completely serious.

Arthur looked incredulous. He was surprised that he had actually expected Merlin to remember to do his chores for a change. He had known Merlin far too long to actually expect him to remember without any help, so why was he surprised? This was Merlin he was talking about.

"Oh, I don't know" he began sarcastically. "How about polishing my armour? Or cleaning the stables? Or cleaning-".

"-Your room? In case you haven't noticed, Arthur, that's exactly what I'm doing" Merlin replied, holding up the cleaning cloth and basket full of dirty clothing that were in his hands, giving Arthur a look that clearly said 'Duh!'.

"And the rest?" Arthur commented.

"Polished your armour last night, and cleaned out the stables this morning. That's the reason why I was late - which I did tell you when I arrived. Goes to show how much you actually listen to me" the raven haired boy replied.

"You know me, Merlin. I never listen to you" responded Arthur(1).

"Well, perhaps you should, otherwise you'll miss out on certain pieces of information".

"I think I was probably distracted by the fact that you forgot my breakfast…again".

"Again? That only happened once!" Merlin complained.

"One time too many" Arthur replied. "Since when do you even manage to be up early enough to get stuff done in the morning? You never wake up early" he continued, looking slightly suspicious.

"Probably a fluke. Don't expect it to happen again-".

"I certainly won't" Arthur mumbled. Then he remembered something. "Wait, you polished my armour last night? When? You were with me when I was training the knights, and we didn't finish until dinner. You never left my sight until I went to bed".

Merlin shifted nervously as he continued cleaning. Arthur was unaware that Merlin had used magic to get his chores done when he had returned to his room.

"Are you telling me that you stayed up late in order to get it done, and still managed to wake up early?".

Merlin thought fast, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.

"You talk as if you've never heard of multi-tasking. Once you were finished with the weapons, I got them sharpened while you continued to train with other ones, considering you weren't going to be using them again. Half the work was done by the time you were finished training. I only had your actual armour to do, and that didn't take very long. I have done this sort of thing before, you know" Merlin finished with a cheeky smile.

"You, multi-task?" Arthur took a moment to think. "Nope, can't imagine it".

"Well, from having to get all these chores done, and always having to save your royal backside, I'd say I've had quite a lot of practise. I should be really good at it by now".

"Yeah, right. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Merlin".

"Arthur, you couldn't last a week without me, and you know it".

"Oh, do I? Well then, I'll just have to prove you otherwise won't I, Merlin?" Arthur replied, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. A smirk appeared on his face, letting Merlin know that he was up to something.

Merlin's smile immediately dropped, wondering what he was going to do. This couldn't lead to anything good. _'Surely not another week in the stock's?' _Merlin thought.

"You have just been given the week off, Merlin" Arthur explained.

Merlin stood silent, waiting for the catch. None came. This had to be joke. If Arthur expected this to be some sort of punishment he was surely failing.

"What?" Merlin finally managed to say.

"I'm giving you the week off. I want you to leave Camelot, and don't return until after the week has finished. Go visit your mother or something. Just go somewhere".

"This is a trick right?" Merlin started, staring at Arthur waiting for him to say something. "You - Arthur Pendragon, Prince and Royal Prat -" Arthur rolled his eyes, "are giving me a week off?".

"Yes, _Mer_lin, I am. Is that so hard to believe?" he replied, surprising Merlin by actually waiting for an answer.

Without having to think about the answer, Merlin scoffed, "Yes", nodding his head.

"Well, believe it. Now get out of here. I don't want to see you again till next week" Arthur continued, turning away from Merlin and back to the papers that were lying on his desk.

Without another word, Merlin also turned around and quietly walked out the room before Arthur could change his mind. A huge grin lit up his face, he couldn't believe it. Not only had he gotten away with making fun of Arthur - as usual - but he had somehow managed to get an entire week off work! He hadn't been to see his mother in such a long time, he hoped she didn't think that he was ignoring her. But now he could spend near an entire week with her.

When he arrived back at the Court Physicians rooms, he couldn't help but think that there was nothing that could wrong.

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><p><strong>So, a new story line and I can't wait to find out what everyone thinks of this. Sorry it took so long for me to get another story, but I honestly couldn't think of another plot line. Plus I've just started uni and it's freaking awesome! <strong>

**Omg! Merlin on the 1st of October! When I saw the trailer I literally jumped out of my seat. I'm going through some major Merlin withdrawal right now, so I'm glad that it'll be back on soon! :D YES!**

**(1) - Line from the series, not mine, can't remember which episode its in though. I think it's in a fair few, because I remember it being in both Season 1 and Season 3 at some point - season 1 was 'Labyrinth of Gedref'.**


	2. An Important Task

**Before I begin, I should say a few things before you read ahead. I looked up information for this chapter, so everything so be correct. When it comes to the section about herbs, Hemlock was actually used to relieve pain, as well as a deadly poison. Elm was used for wounds. If the info is incorrect, please just either ignore it and pretend its something else, or review and tell me what I should replace certain things with.  
>Ta :)<strong>

**A few spoilers for Season 2 and Season 3, so if you don't want it ruined…well just don't read it yet because there will be a few things that you'd probably want to find out on your own.**

**I do not own Merlin! Damn it all! - Actually a good thing, I'd be to hyped up with excitement to direct/write/produce anything 'Merlin' involved XD**

**Any mistakes are mine and only mine, cause I don't bother with a Beta - for some strange reason. Any big problems though, just point them out, and I'll get on with fixing it immediately :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin walked around his room, collecting his things that he would need as he travelled back to Ealdor, Gaius standing in the doorway watching him with a sceptical look and his raised eyebrow. When he had first told Gaius that he was going back to Ealdor for a week, Gaius had outright laughed at him and said, "Do you honestly think you can convince Arthur to give you the week off?".<p>

Gaius' smile was wiped off his face to be replaced by a frown, unsure whether or not to believe what Merlin was telling him. Merlin didn't usually lie to Gaius unless he had to, and even then he lied badly - how that boy hadn't been discovered yet was a mystery and a shock. Right at that moment, everything about Merlin seemed to be screaming at him that it was the truth, but he still couldn't believe it.

"And he actually said that you could have the week off?" he asked, for what felt to Merlin as the hundredth time.

"Yes, if you don't believe me go and ask him yourself. Although, that might make him change his mind, so please don't" Merlin replied, stopping to look pointedly at Gaius, knowing that that's exactly what Arthur might do. It would be the very thing that would annoy Merlin, therefore it sounded exactly like something that Arthur was capable of.

"I'm just surprised, that's all. It doesn't sound very much like Arthur".

In fact, it sounded like the exact opposite of Arthur. Merlin remembered when he once had tried to blackmail the prince into giving him one single day of - just one. Arthur was sent on a quest, one which he had to complete on his own. Of course Merlin couldn't just stay and twiddle this thumbs back in Camelot, so went to join him, with Gwaine tagging along too. Yet somehow he hadn't managed it. Yet he had now ended up with an entire week off!

"Yeah, well I may have unintentionally tricked Arthur into doing it…" Merlin started, smiling slightly at what had happened.

Gaius looked curiously at Merlin, silently asking him to continue. Merlin did not oblige, but instead grabbed his packed bag and wondered back into the main chamber. Gaius followed him, carrying Merlin's bedroll.

"Well, you just be careful on your travels, and tell your mother I hope she's well. Oh, and on your travels, if you spot any Elm or Hemlock -".

"-I'll collect any herbs I come across, Gaius" Merlin replied a little sharply. The mention of Hemlock made him tense a little. He knew that he had had a good reason to do what he did, but that didn't mean that he didn't regret it. Not that Morgana would ever believe him.

"Thank you, Merlin. People in the lower towns have been complaining about headaches and stomach aches, I think there's an illness going round so we're running a little low. I'll be fine for a few weeks, but since you're leaving -".

"-I may as well get it done since I'll be passing them anyway, I know, I know" Merlin interrupted.

Gaius chuckled. "I'm getting too old. I'm becoming far too predictable".

"Nah, I just know you really well" Merlin replied, smiling, making Gaius chuckle ever more.

Gaius brought Merlin into a hug. "Be careful, Merlin" he repeated, causing Merlin to hold him at an arms length to reply. "I always am, you know me".

"That's what worries me, Merlin" he commented, a cheeky grin appearing on his face.

"Oh, thanks!" Merlin replied, laughing all the same. "Well, I've already said goodbye to everyone else, actually I had to convince Gwaine that he had to stay here - he was tempted to come with me in order to measure up the taverns on the way for future reference".

"Now, that sounds exactly like Gwaine" Gaius replied. "He just wants to make sure that you make it there okay, Merlin. You're his closest friend".

"I know, but I don't need protecting, Gaius. I do have a little advantage, you know".

"I know that, Merlin, but he doesn't, does he?".

"No…no he doesn't…" Merlin trailed off. He hated lying to his friends, not being able to tell them anything was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

"Merlin, don't let your head get filled with negative thoughts" Gaius said, interrupting the thoughts that were steadily headed downhill. "One day, when the time is right, you can tell them. But only when the time is right, you know what will happen if Uther finds out, especially what with Morgana's betrayal still fresh in his mind".

"I'm just worried that they won't accept me. I've been lying to them for so long that-".

"Merlin, this is some of the closest friends you have that you are talking about. When the time comes I'm sure they'll accept you, no matter what you are. If they don't then they're not the friends they make themselves out to be" Gaius said, with a comforting smile.

"Thanks, Gaius" Merlin replied, cheering up slightly. "Well…I'd better be off. Knowing Arthur, I'll probably get to the other side of the courtyard before he comes strutting out of the castle, wondering what I've done with his sword or something".

"Well, get going then" Gaius chuckled, hugging Merlin tightly. "And-".

"Be careful, I know, I know" Merlin laughed.

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><p>The cloaked figure walked out of the trees and towards the group of armour-clad mercenaries. The fire burned brightly in the dark and cold night, the men trying to sit as close to it as they possibly could. Due to this, it was unclear to the covered stranger who the leader of this group was. As the stranger walked slightly into the light that the fire was creating, each man looked up, eventually ending their arguments and chatter into silence.<p>

Soon enough, one of the group stood and turned to address the stranger.

"Who are you? You would do well to leave this clearing or-" the bulky man started, picking up a sword from the ground.

"I have no interest in your pathetic threats, Elric" said the stranger, making said thug stand alert.

He had immediately recognized the voice, as had so many of the others around him, some of whom were beginning to stand, realizing that this meant work. _'Finally' _was the thought that crossed many of their minds, having done nothing but lay low for some while since the new patrols were being sent out into the forests every other day. The leader - Elric - walked towards the stranger, indicating to the others that he didn't want them listening in to their conversation. The stranger and Elric walked a little way from the camp, but not too far for Elric to loose sight of his men.

"I have a job for you, Elric. I have been lead to believe that I can trust you with this, despite how important the task is. Apparently, you are the one to come to if I want the job done right" the visitor explained.

"And what would this job entail, precisely?" Elric asked.

The stranger pulled back the hood that covered their head as a smirk made its way across their face.

"You will need to move quickly…" Morgana began, her smirk becoming wider as she told the thug about her plans.

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><p><strong>Second chapter done! Hope it was okay :)<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**a fan - **I hope I do it justice! I feel so sorry for you guys over there! I know how you feel, I'm like that waiting for 'Chuck'. Aren't you able to get onto the BBC iPlayer website and watch it there? It's not illegal or anything, it's the official website :) hope that helps, but i'll bet there'll be something cruel like a site blocker because you're in america :(

**PartlyInsaneEvilKitty -** Awesome name! :D Your welcome! :D lol everyone knows that Arthur can't possibly live without Merlin, hehe. He just doesn't know it yet! :D

**Dee -** thanks! i totally agree :D Thanks for the review!

**Lozzy-heartz-Bookz - **nice to hear from you again! :D glad to see the people from my older stories have decided to read my newer ones :D Sorry for the long wait, i literally couldn't think of a plot :) I'm definitely going to do another Sherlock one at some point, but haven't come up with the right plot/story-line yet

**Whirlwind421 -** thanks! lol I love how sometimes I'll go through the day thinking about something completely unrelated and then suddenly...its like an epiphany! :D

**MerlinsBeardItsTheDoctor - **hehe, of course not! Merlin could never jinx something :D thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks to every reviewer, alerter, and favourite-er - and there were actually a lot of the last two! :D**

**Xx**


	3. Bad Role Model

**Hi, how's everyone doing? Good? Good. :D Most of the beginning is nothing but talking, but it shows you a nice aspect of Merlin's relationships with his friends. I think it might be slightly OOC, but hey! I never claimed to write the actually episodes or act the actual character, so of course it will never be exactly right! :D**

**For those of you that have watched it - how amazing was the first episode of Merlin Season4? omg! that was brilliant! amazing! I had all these high expectations that I expected it to be rubbish in comparison, but it was even better! :D**

**Should probably mention that any mistakes are completely my own as I do not currently have a Beta to read any of this :)**

**Also - Disclaimer: Merlin is not mine. If it were I would not have had to wait so long for the return of one of the greatest TV shows ever! **

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin held onto the straps of his bag that hung from his shoulders as he walked though the lower part of Camelot and towards the gates. Gwaine had approached Merlin again and was quietly hinting to allow him to accompany him. He was already getting bored with being a noble knight - not that the free drink was anything to complain about - but the only things he had been able to do of late was the patrols that were sent out every other day, and he was beginning to feel a bit repetitive.<p>

"A change of scenery, that's all I need. Just a few days away-" continued the carefree man that walked alongside Merlin.

"Please, Gwaine, a few days away and you'll only be in every tavern that we pass. And as for scenery, you probably wouldn't remember it, forget about actually look and admire it-" Merlin interrupted.

"Bit harsh there, Merlin" he complained. At Merlin's blank look he added, "But true…", forcing Merlin to chuckle at the nonchalant shrug he gave.

"Gwaine, I will be back within a few days, a week at most. Once the council decides to calm down with the patrols, I'm sure I'd be more than happy to have you come along, beside the fact that - for what ever reason - my mother wants to meet you".

"She probably realizes how charming and handsome I am through your descriptions".

"Or she's already met pretty much everyone else and wants to know everyone in order to decide who my best friend should be…good luck with winning that title, by the way".

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" he replied, completely affronted.

"You've got Gwen to compete with" Merlin said, as if it were obvious.

"Oh, yeah. Damn!" he replied making Merlin chuckle again. "She was pretty much the first person you made friends with when you came here. Tough competition, mate".

"Without a doubt" Merlin smiled, as he looked around him to realize where he was. "And here we are, Gates of Camelot. I guess I'll be seeing you".

"See you soon, Merlin. And don't you go into any tavern's without me, or do anything that will get you into trouble".

"You're one to talk!" Merlin joked, knowing all to well that it was the truth.

"'Do as I say, not as I do' I believe the saying says" Gwaine retorted..

"You're not a good role model for me".

"Ah, well, what you going to do? There's no one else is there?".

"Let's see, there's Lancelot, Percival, Elyan, Gaius, Arthur-".

"Anybody but the princess, please!" Gwaine laughed, getting Merlin to laugh along side him.

Gwaine finally enveloped Merlin in a tight hug. Merlin turned once more to look at the place he now called home, and then turned back to the road in front of him, thinking of his mother's surprised face when she finds him arriving in Ealdor without any notice beforehand.

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><p>Meanwhile, within the Forest of Ascetir, word was spreading. There was something heading towards Camelot. Elric walked through the forest, surrounded by his men. But only half of them were there. The other half were now travelling in the other direction. They would travel to the edge of the forest, and once their job was done, they would head back, and met the other half of the group. Elric didn't know if he really thought that the Lady Morgana's plan was the smartest move. He believed it to be a re-enactment of many plans already tried, but he would never refuse the Lady Morgana - he knew that she was not a person to be dealt with.<p>

He knew that the consequences for not following her would be far graver than those if he did. At least this way he could escape with his and his men's lives. He didn't really know the Lady Morgana that well, it was mainly from stories and the rumours. Especially the ones about how she was really the daughter of Uther Pendragon, turned powerful sorceress. The fact that she had successfully played an important part on defeating Camelot - and its unbreakable citadel - and becoming its Queen, no matter how short of a period that was. It had never happened before she came along. Many people had tried.

Elric knew the Lady's sister a little better, but still no better than to call her an acquaintance. Those with magic, he realised, liked to keep themselves to themselves unless they were otherwise inclined. A thing that was growing ever more common among those gifted. Even the druids were becoming more secretive, always hiding away somewhere in Cenred's kingdom.

But there were ways to bring them out of hiding. There were ways to get them to band together. He was now playing a part in something bigger than just the defeat of Camelot. He now had a part in removing the enemies of magic, returning magic to its former glory.

This time Camelot would be eradicated.

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><p>Arthur walked towards the unused throne room, prepared for a secret meeting with his most trusted knights and Lady. It had become a sort of routine ever since getting back to Camelot, that those of the Round Table would meet up secretly every once a week to discuss anything that needed to be discussed - mainly if there had been any sightings of Morgana or Morgause. Once again, he himself had heard nothing about either of them, and he knew that he was giving himself false hope to even think that one of the others might have.<p>

Upon entering, he saw that everyone else had already arrived. Including Gwaine.

"Gwaine? What are you doing here?" Arthur asked, knowing full well that Gwaine had wanted to go with Merlin that morning.

He believed that he had in fact gone with Merlin, as there was literally nothing else to do in Camelot, apart from train. If Gwaine had left with Merlin had could have used the opportunity to listen and ask around about Morgana - because he knew that Merlin would be completely and utterly hopeless at that sort of thing.

"I'm here for the meeting, you know, the ones we usually have around this time, on this day, in this room?" Gwaine said, mockery filling his voice. "Or am I not welcome when Merlin's not in town?" he added, a wide smile on his face.

"Well, he does seem to be the only one who can get through to you sometimes…".

"That's because Merlin's really the smart one out of you lot".

"Merlin? You've got to be talking about a different 'Merlin'" Arthur replied.

"Just how many people called 'Merlin' do you know?" Lancelot asked as he started to smile, knowing truly how wise Merlin really was.

"Just the one, fortunately enough" Arthur replied, smiling, thinking about how sometimes Merlin does have the habit of saying something wise, and then goes and ruins it by doing something clumsy or stupid. "The reason I ask, Gwaine, is because I thought that you were going with Merlin to Ealdor?".

"I was, but Merlin convinced me to stay here. Apparently I'm too much of a bad role model for him".

"While I believe that to be true-", "Oi!", "- I don't like the idea of Merlin travelling all the way to Ealdor by himself. Perhaps you should go after him".

"Why don't you go after him too then, since you seem to be so worried about him" replied Gwaine, making everyone else in the room smile - apart from Arthur, of course.

"Two reasons. One: the whole reason he has left is so that I can prove that I can easily survive a little thing called a week without Merlin -" Arthur paused as many of the knights snorted with laughter. "-And two: I am not worried about Merlin".

"Sure sound it" Elyan mumbled, smiling at Arthur's reaction.

"I know what Merlin's like, he'll probably fall of his horse and knock himself off-".

"Arthur-". "Gwen, come on, you have to admit that it sounds like something Merlin would do-". "He's not that bad, Arthur" Gwen replied.

"He's probably half way there already. By the time I get to him, it'll be morning and he'll of headed off towards Ealdor again" Gwaine replied, knowing that he can stop the lover's quarrel before it begins.

"Well, then you can go and ride with him on his way back. I don't like the fact that Hunith lives so far away, and we all know what Merlin's like. He's a magnet for trouble".

"Oh, and you're not?" Gwen asked, smiling slightly.

When Arthur remained silent, the others simply laughed, and Arthur glared slightly at them, provoking further merriment. He knew that he caused a fair amount of trouble, but that was only because he was Crown Prince of Camelot. _'It's not like it happens all the time'_ Arthur thought to himself, thinking back as he did so. _'Okay, so maybe it is…'._

"Well, since I have amused you lot so much, could be get to business? Has anyone got something to share with the group?" Arthur said, interrupting the laughter.

As the replies all came in as negative, there was nothing else for it, but to leave and return to their previous duties. As Arthur returned to his rooms, he couldn't help thinking back over the years, and realising just how much trouble he seemed to get into, especially with sorcerers. And, although he would never admit it, he realized that a lot of the time, he did actually have some help from Merlin. '_Maybe he's not completely useless' _he thought, smiling to himself.

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><p><strong>It's a little short I know! Most of my chapters usually are in comparison to some of the fics I read. But better this than nothing right? Right? Oh well, I'll do better next time then :D It's going to get right into the plot within the next couple of chapter, things are really going to start speeding up! :D<strong>

**Thanks in advance for any reviews!**

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><p><strong><span>Reviews:<span>**

**BigTimeGleekBTR - **Thanks! Great to hear that by the way! :D

**Dee - **Not that long, believe me - just wait for the beginning of the next chapter! :D thanks!

**CANDi - **omg! season 4 starter was amazing! but I complained a lot when it finished - its torture waiting for the next week! and same here - cannot wait for season 5 and season 4 has barely started :D your welcome! hope this was quick enough, I'm going to try and put out a new chapter at least once a week if not more :)

**MerlinJustGiveMeTheMuffins - **awesome name btw! :D lol! thats what everyone has been saying! It's cause everyone knows it to be true!

**a fan - **thanks! It's good to hear - or read - that :) it's a shame that its not shown over there at the same time, I know what it's like and I absolutely hate it!

**Sylvanara - **ta! :D nope, he definitely doesn't :D cant believe they block the website! thank heavens for youtube! lol XD gotta love youtube! will do! Thanks for reviewing!

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><p><strong>To all you alerters and favourite-er's thanks a bunch! Next chapter should be up within the week :D<strong>

**Xx**


	4. Home?

**Okaydokey here's the newest chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Do not own and all mistakes are mine - happy to admit it :D **

**Omg! Newest season is fabulous! The second ep was so epic! And the ending omg! No! I think I cried!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

****When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**  
><strong>

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><p>Arthur looked around his chambers. Well, with only a few hours without Merlin he could say that it was going good so far….<p>

Okay, so maybe not so much. There were clothes all over the place, Arthur's armor lay unattended to on his table, and he wanted to have a bath after a long day's training, but couldn't remember where the kitchen was in order to get the water. Not that it would matter after all. A Prince should never be seen entering the kitchen without a good reason. He could always get another servant to fetch him the bath, as well as some food – he wasn't going to fetch his own dinner after all. Perhaps he could ask Gwen….

'_Hmm…maybe Merlin had a point…' _he thought, not that he'd ever admit that.

He really should stop thinking and go find Gwen. She'd keep his secret, she wouldn't tell Merlin, would she? She was friends with Merlin before she got closer to him…. '_Nah, Gwen wouldn't tell'_ he thought, turning away from the mess that was his rooms, and left to go find Gwen.

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><p>Merlin walked over the small hill and looked down at the valley that lay below. He was now at the edge of the forest that showed the way to Ealdor. Another couple of hours and he would reach his home…. <em>'Home?' <em>Merlin thought. Could he really call Ealdor home anymore? He had not lived there for over four years now, and had only returned to visit his mother. If it were not for his mother, he did not think that he would bother returning at all. He had a lot more to return for at Camelot. Camelot had everyone that he loved and cared for - besides his mother. All his friends and those he now counted as family lived in Camelot. He knew that he could not call Ealdor his home anymore, not when he knew that his real home was back in Camelot.

He knew that his mother knew this too, it just took him longer to realize that he had finally found somewhere that he could belong. Somewhere that he could fit in. If only his biggest secret wasn't one that could threaten that happy thought.

As if to knock him out of his negative thoughts, Merlin paused in his walking when he heard a twig snap somewhere ahead of him. Leaving the road, he hid amongst the trees, crouching down and searching out with his magic. It was dangerous times, and Merlin knew not to assume that every snapping twig and rustling bush was just another rabbit - like Arthur tended to sometimes do.

But Merlin could only find traces of magic around him. There had been sorcerers somewhere close not long ago, and were probably still nearby, but had left the road long ago, heading somewhere into the valley below him. He knew that this meant that there were probably more magic users somewhere ahead of him, and he'd be lucky if he got passed them without getting caught - especially with his rotten luck. Merlin continued down towards the valley and deeper into the forest, but kept off the road, and searching around him for any more traces of magic.

The sound of raised voices made him come to a complete stop, and he crouched down low, realizing that there were people ahead of him. He could hear the fire they had going crackle. Slowly kneeling down, and edging forwards, looking over a slight rise in the ground, he saw the camp that the mercenaries had set up. In total, Merlin had to take a guess and say that there were at least fifteen men there inside the small clearing. There seemed to be an argument taking place, which explained the raised voices that he had heard. Being the curious warlock that he was, Merlin decided to listen in.

"Do you even know what she's capable of? We turn on her and it'll be our necks that she'll come after, Alec!" shouted a tall, rather brutal looking man.

"Not if we get away first! She's not all knowing! Why should we work for someone like her? We used to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, and now look at us! Scrounging for work from anyone who'll hire us for the pettiest of things!" replied a shorter, but equally ruthless appearing man. Merlin assumed that this man was the previously named Alec.

"Are you insane? Do you know who you're talking about? She and her sister were the first ones ever to have broken into the citadel of Camelot itself! Do you honestly think that if we refuse to work for her, that she'll just let us go with a wave of her hand?" the first man retorted.

Merlin suddenly realized who it was that they were arguing about. It was Morgana and Morgause. '_Just great, what are those two going to try now?'_ Merlin thought, wondering why he couldn't ever catch a break. He needed to be careful, if he was caught and forced to use his magic to escape, he couldn't risk anyone escaping with that knowledge and letting it get back to the two witches.

"I do hope that I'm not interrupting something, gentlemen?" said a new voice. As Merlin looked around, he realized that this new voice belonged to a new person who had just entered the camp from the other side of the clearing.

He was taller than the other two, and a lot more bulky around the shoulders and arms. He, to Merlin, was obviously the leader of the group, commanding everyone's attention by merely being present. The two arguing men had now stopped, and looked over to their leader, their skin paling with every second that passed. The newcomer simply raised an eyebrow in a gesture that explained that he was waiting for an explanation - despite the fact that Merlin suspected that he already knew everything that had been said.

"We-we were just-" started the one called Alec.

"I know what you were doing. But you do not decide what it is we do, I do. You answer to me, Alec. If you have a problem following orders, perhaps we should have a little chat in private…" the newcomer interrupted fingering the hilt of the sword that hung from his belt.

Merlin saw Alec visible swallow as he stayed silent under the man's threatening glare. Despite being argumentative with Alec, the other man looked a little tentative also. Merlin knew that this man was not to be messed with. But Merlin had to find out what it was that these men and the two witches were planning, if only to warn Arthur. He had to stay there until he discovered their plans.

'Mer_lin, don't be an idiot'_ said the voice in Merlin's head, which sounded oddly like Arthur's voice. He just shook his head and got back to the conversation that was going on. The newcomer was now coming closer to the camp fire, looking around him as if to see if there was anyone who would like to openly disagree with his orders. He looked as if he were daring them to do something, he just wanted someone to act out, give him a reason to let out the anger that he was clearly not hiding well.

"Elric, if I may, how are the others getting on?" asked one brave man somewhere nearer to the fire, catching everyone's attention. They all wanted to hear the answer, but no one more than Merlin. Merlin now knew the name of the group's leader – Elric.

Elric looked to the man that had spoken, and a small smile appeared on his face, almost a smirk – but nothing in comparison with Morgana's. Now that he came to think of it, Morgana did smirk quite a lot – it was a wonder that no one had ever noticed anything until it was too late.

"They have called the three leaders in the north, and are now headed back to the meeting point. By this time tomorrow the Valerian Clan should be arriving, as well as Brayan – their leader. The Asa Clan should be here before the morning, Aster sent a message that she was coming with at least twenty-five healers. It won't be till the day after tomorrow that the Bala tribe arrives. Aleric managed to communicate with Peter, he'll be bringing as many people as he can" Elric explained.

Many of the men around the camp started smiling; realizing that their plan was going as they – or more likely Morgana and Elric – had planned. Merlin knew something of what was going on. He had recognized a couple of those names. He already knew that the Valerian Clan were a group of druids that believed in increasing their strength when it came to their magic – which is why their name meant 'strong' in Latin. He was able to hazard a guess that the other two – Asa and Bala – were also druid clans. He didn't know what these two words meant, but from what Elric had said about the Asa Clan, they were druids that focused on healing powers. He had little to no information on the Bala tribe.

"I assume you have managed to send out your messages to the rest of the druids?" Elric asked, and then continued when a few of the men answered in the affirmative. "Good, with any hope they will all be here by the end of the week, and then the Lady Morgana shall have the magical army that she desires" he said, smirking to his men, who started copying him.

'_They're planning to attack Camelot, with an army of sorcerers…'_ Merlin thought, just managing to stop himself from gasping aloud at the revelation.

He knew he couldn't stay any longer, he had to go back to Camelot, and he had to warn Arthur. He slowly crawled back the way he came and stood once he was back up to a certain point, far enough away that the people at the camp wouldn't hear or see him. Getting to his feet, he quietly started walking back towards the path that lead to Camelot, with such light footing that even Arthur would be impressed.

As he got to the path, he heard more voices, except this time they were in front of him. He was standing at the edge of the road, knowing that any closer and they would soon see him, but he couldn't go backwards either. He crossed the road quickly and kept walking through the forest, going off at an angle from the path, but further away from the danger that he was trying to leave behind.

He could still hear the voices behind him, but they were getting further away now. When he was far enough away, Merlin stopped amongst the trees, leaning against a large oak as he caught his breath back. He couldn't hear the voices from the mercenaries anymore, and knew that he was far enough away to stop running.

He didn't really know where he was anymore, but he knew in which general direction he would be heading. After a moment, he decided to head off, but as he turned around, a flash of red was the last thing he saw before the blackness consumed him.

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><p><strong>Thanks for any reviews!<strong>

**Hopefully future chapters will be longer, and really start getting into the plot. I just really don't want to rush into the story – so many stories get ruined by doing that.**

**Reviews:**

**BigTimeGleekBTR - **Thanks! Will do, I make it an aim to at least post once a week, if not more. It's usually Thursdays that I post, but if I get a lot written, I'll start updating more often - promise! :D

**ShiverMeFunzies - **Love the name btw! :D thanks! I love those two characters - I hate loving every character, because I never know which is my favourite (Probably Merlin though! hehe!). Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!

**Lozzy-heartz-Bookz - **woo! thanks! Your reviews always make me smile :D thanks!

**HplcMlVr - **great to hear that it's going well! glad that the length is good, but it's probably going to get longer anyway :D For some reason recently I start writing and find that I just can't stop! I wrote two whole chapters in one night! thanks!

**horsegirl332211 - **same! Gwaine's fab! loved him in 3rd season, and he's just as silly and funny in the 4th - from what I've seen of him in the first two episodes, the second one being funnier where he's concerned XD Hope this chapter was up to your expectations! :D thanks for reviewing!

**Whirlwind421 - **thanks! hehe, same I've written most of the areas ahead on my phone, and I'm writing them up on the computer so I can edit them :D

**Arnia - **Here you go! Thanks for reviewing! :D

**Thanks to everyone!**

**Cookie dough and ice cream to every reviewer :D yum yum...**

**Xx**


	5. Heading East

**Hello! How's everyone doing? Seriously, cause all I got was two reviews...**

**Was the last chapter complete rubbish? I almost didn't bother updating this time.**

**Disclaimer: Do I...? Nope, I don't own! Mistakes are still my own. Don't know why I haven't got a Beta tbh.**

**Third ep. was shocking! - not in a bad way, unless you count sad (felt like I was gonna cry, which was weird). You just get used to certain things, and when they get taken away...it's going to be very strange - but in a good way! :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

****When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.****

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><p>Arthur had managed to track Gwen down – it wasn't that difficult now that she was his father's maidservant. He found her in his father's rooms, his father still refusing to eat more than a mouthful of food, or half a goblet of water. It was hard to see his father start to waste away. He had started losing weight, and his hair had started growing in all directions, along with the scruffy beard he had started growing. He knew that there wasn't really anything that he personally could do, except from visit his father whenever he could, but Uther had barely said a word. Ever since Morgana had betrayed them, and taken over Camelot, Uther seemed so broken, as if he weren't entirely there. He would forget things, think that Morgana was still his kind, loving ward, his mind - as well as his heart - seemed shattered.<p>

Gwen promised not to tell anyone that he had asked her to help him while Merlin was gone, but the cheeky smile on her face when she did so hinted that she liked having something to hold over him.

The next day, Arthur sat at the council meeting, as the latest patrol had just arrived back in Camelot. A few knights had ridden out that morning in search of Morgana, hearing about how a hooded woman had been spotted heading north on a black horse. Sir Leon had come forward as the one to give the Prince the report of the patrol, as he always would, and the rest of the knights got some well-deserved rest. Rest, however, would have to wait a little while longer for Sir Leon. Once the meeting was over, Arthur held back all of those who belonged to the Round Table, just in case there was anything that needed to be said away from the council's ears.

"We have literally found no trace of her, Sire. We travelled to the villages you specified, but there was no trace of the Lady Morgana anywhere. No one had seen or heard about her. It is possible that she used magic to make them forget, but either way we could not find her" Leon started.

Arthur noticed that he fidgeted a little when he finished his report, as if there was something else, but he was unsure as to whether or not he should speak.

"What is it, Leon? You can tell us, there is no one here who cannot be trusted" Arthur said, looking around at the other four knights, Gwen and Gaius.

"There was one person who said that she had some information that may be of use to us" he started. His words drew the attention of everyone in the room – the patrol had not included the other four knights, and they were just as gripped by Leon's words.

"Why didn't you mention this in the council?"

"Because the other people in the council would immediately dismiss the information because of its source, Sire. Within this group however, I believe that some thought maybe put towards it".

"Why? Who was the source?" Lancelot asked.

"A young girl, who displayed magic" Leon replied. For a moment, there was nothing said as the group thought over what Leon had said.

"Why would a sorceress tell us where Morgana was headed? Surely this is a trick?" Elyan began.

"Not all sorcerers are like Morgana…" Lancelot started, thinking of Merlin.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Most of them keep to themselves, the main reason the court ever finds out about people possessing magic is because other people accuse them. Obviously, not all magic users are going to like how Morgana attacked Camelot, she did give an order to shoot the people when the knights of Camelot refused to give their allegiance to her" Lancelot explained, hoping that Arthur didn't ask any further questions.

Both Arthur and Leon nodded at this – Leon had been there when Morgana had done so. She had wanted the people to yield to her, but that was pointless seeing as how she was giving orders to have them shot. If anything that day had made people more afraid of her, hate her more, but it had not made any of them warm up to the idea of her being Queen of Camelot. It made people be more inclined towards the opposite.

Arthur remembered the sorcerer that he had met when he had visited Ealdor with Merlin – Will. He had done nothing wrong, committed no crimes. Even though he possessed magic, he lived in Cenred's kingdom at the time – so even that was not against the law. Will had only used his magic to try and save the people that he cared about, to rid them of Kanen and his men.

"What did the sorceress say, Sir Leon?" Arthur continued, looking back at the knight.

"She was a druid, Sire. She said that she could sense magic when it was close to her, and although she couldn't remember Morgana specifically, she did say that there was a strong sense of magic close by a few days ago. She couldn't tell who it belonged to, except that it was leaving, heading east" Leon finished.

"East? Why would she be heading east?" Arthur asked, more to himself than to the others.

All that lay east was Cenred's Kingdom – but he was dead now, so it was actually unclaimed land. Cenred had had no successor, except when Morgause had turned his own men against him, technically making her ruler over his land. However, if she had taken over Cenred's kingdom, he would have heard about it. As it was, no one had contested the right to the throne, and most of the villages within the Cenred's kingdom had now sworn allegiance to Camelot - Ealdor was obviously the first to do so.

Then Arthur had a sudden thought. If Morgana was heading east...

'_Oh no...Merlin'._

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><p>Merlin became immediately aware that he was lying down on something soft, softer than the ground, like a bed. But he had left Camelot hadn't he? Or was the whole thing just a dream? No, it couldn't have been, because his entire body was aching from whatever had caused his blackout earlier. '<em>What was that?<em>' Merlin asked himself.

Knowing that the only way that his question would be answered would be to get up and find out, he searched around him with his magic, keeping his eyes shut, pretending to still be unconscious. What he found shocked him slightly. There were so many people nearby – all of them possessing magic. He realized that they all were a little distance away though, and from what he could hear, he was inside a tent, voices being muffled by the material.

Merlin opened his eyes slowly and looked around him as best he could without moving. The tent was dark, but he could see a thin ray of light on the other side, shining through a small gap in the entrance to the tent. He tried sitting up, but immediately lay back down. He didn't have the energy to get up yet. His legs felt like they would probably not sustain his weight, and he could barely raise his arm without a lot of effort.

"Moving right now is unwise, Emrys" came a small, feminine voice from somewhere near the other side of the tent.

Merlin managed to look around more, and found the woman sitting on a stool at the end of the bed that he was lying on. He could only just see the outline of the woman in the darkness of the shelter he was given. He tried to speak, ask where he was, but she beat him to it.

"Do not try to talk, Emrys. You must rebuild your energy. You should not be waking up right now, the spell was strong enough to keep you knocked out for a week not an day, but I suppose you aren't the all-powerful Emrys for nothing" Said the woman. It was not said in a harsh tone, rather one of admiration and respect.

Merlin dropped his head back to the pillow. He could hear the woman getting up and soon saw the woman move around, nearer to the head of the bed. She helped him sit up slightly, to drink some water. Merlin did not refuse. There was something about this woman that let him know that he could trust her. As she kneeled beside him, helping him drink, Merlin saw her better. She wore a simple dress, but it had a delicate design along the hem and neckline, making it look slightly more luxurious. She had a rather pale complexion, long and wavy, dark brown hair, with the greenest eyes he had ever seen. This woman was definitely a creature of magic. From what he could sense from her magic, he guessed that she had great power in certain aspects of magic, while she lacked in others.

"I greatly apologize for what happened to cause your arrival in our camp. There was no need for such magic to be used upon you. I'm afraid your appearance gave Sara quite a shock. She does have problems thinking about her actions before she uses her magic" the woman explained.

"Acts without thinking? Sounds like someone I know" Merlin croaked, thinking of Arthur.

"Hush, you mustn't speak. It'll take a while for you to regain your energy".

"I never pay any attention to medical advice" Merlin replied, knowing it to be true from all the times he ignored Gaius' words of wisdom.

"I doubt that in the past you would get knocked out again if you refused to rest" the woman threatened, smiling to let him know that she was just joking.

"I don't know about that. Gaius has a habit of mixing my water with a sleeping draught…" Merlin responded.

"Now there's an idea" She teased, smiling when she heard his voice was beginning to sound a little better after all.

After a few moments, the woman started to move back towards the door.

"Get some rest, Emrys. When you feel well enough to get up, I will have some food prepared for you" she said softly. "I'm Anya, by the way" she added with a smile, before walking out of the tent.

Merlin tried to get some more sleep, but found he was unable to, despite how sore it was to move. He needed to get up, he knew that there was a perfectly good reason to ignore his own health, but he couldn't remember why. It was definitely important, that he could remember.

When he finally managed to sit up and try to loosen up the knots that were in his arms, he heard footsteps heading back up towards his tent.

The woman, whom he now knew as Anya, entered with a bowl of soup in her hands. She smiled when she saw that he was sitting up. Giving him the bowl and letting him eat, she sat back down on the stool.

"There's no doubt about you being Emrys if you're already sitting up and moving about after only an day from one of Sara's spells. She specialises in spells like that one – it comes in great help when we need an injured patient to calm down. Unfortunately, she overdid it. She can sometimes activate her power to a much greater extent and cause unconsciousness, but it usually only happens when she's under great emotional stress" Anya started.

"Like when she's in danger, or really angry?" Merlin asked in between mouthfuls. "That's the same as me. Sometimes when I'm in danger, my magic will just instinctively react".

"It's similar to Sara in that respect. Emrys is foretold to be able to use magic without words, incantations or hand gestures – to have that ability without training and use it instinctively, no matter what the situation. We druids cannot train to be that powerful – certainly not without hand gestures. It only happens with us when in certain circumstances" Anya replied.

Merlin nodded, indicating that he understood. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he started eating. The spell that Sara had used must have affected him more than he thought. But apparently not as much as Anya thought it would.

"Where am i?" Merlin finally asked when he had finished the soup.

"You are in a druid camp. We have travelled from far north in order to get here. We call ourselves the Amala" she answered.

"What are you doing here? Why would you travel so far south, to come to a place where magic is banned?" Merlin asked.

"Some might ask the same of you. You are the most powerful magical being there is, has been or will ever be, and yet you live within Camelot's walls. Some would say you are suicidal" She chuckled.

"I stay because I must. I need to stay if I intend to protect-".

"Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King" Anya completed, nodding slightly.

"You know?"

"Of course. All druids are brought up learning about you, Emrys. It's why many of our kind have not yet given up hope that Camelot and the Pendragons will see the error of their ways".

Merlin shook his head slightly. It was rather unnerving that all these people believed that he was their one and only hope for a peaceful and prosperous future. Sometimes he wished that he didn't have this burden to bear, that he wasn't Emrys at all. But then something would always happen that would remind him of why he was happy to be who he was, and that he wouldn't want it any other way. Still, the fact that so many people believed he was all-powerful and that he would bring magic back to the land of Albion was rather daunting.

Handing back the bowl to Anya, she gave him a look that seemed to say 'I know what you're thinking, don't worry'. After all of Gaius' different facial expressions and one-raised eyebrows, Merlin was getting good at reading silent messages from people. Anya left the tent, promising to be back soon so that he could try walking around the camp, to get used to his legs again.

He thought that he would be fine trying walking there and then, it wasn't like he needed to go running somewhere, and he wasn't in a hurry. But then he remembered that he was.

His memories were coming back to him. He remembered why he needed to get back to Camelot. Morgana was gathering sorcerers and lots of them. Were these people here to fight for her too? Merlin wondered just who it was that he was being taken care of by. He knew that he felt like he could trust her, but if she and the others were there to fight against Camelot, he needed to leave now. Morgana could come along and find him there. The quicker he got back to Camelot, the better.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Need to remind you that this story is based before the 4th season, but after the 3rd - need to remind myself, I keep forgetting and almost write about something that has happened in the new series :S Had to change a few things :D<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**CANDi - **Thanks! Satudays episode was amazing! Hehe, I would PM every review I get, but I prefer this way because them other people can read my comments and comment on them themselves. Will try!

**noreallyidontcare -** lol, I'm totally the same! I completely forget what the story is about, and have to reread the previous chapter! I thought that I would start putting the summary up just in case there were other people who were like me in that respect :D Your welcome! Thanks for reviewing!

**Just wanted to say in general, thanks for any reviews, because it makes me smile every time I get one! Makes me feel like I'm not just completely wasting my time writing any of this :)**


	6. Finding Merlin

**Okay, on with the next chapter.**

**Once more: Don't own 'Merlin'. All mistakes are mine, blah, blah, blah...**

**Anyone seen the recent episode? omg! Merlin had a new insult for Arthur! FINALLY! I've been waiting for another one since the first episode! They always put in a new insult in the first episode., so I was worried that they weren't going to add another one when they didn't, but they have! WOO HOO! Arthur's now a cabbage head! XD**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

******When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.******

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><p><strong>Last Time...<strong>

_There were so many people nearby – all of them possessing magic…._

"_Moving right now is unwise, Emrys" came a small, feminine voice..._

_The woman, whom he now knew as Anya, entered with a bowl of soup in her hands. She smiled when she saw that he was sitting up…._

_His memories were coming back to him. He remembered why he needed to get back to Camelot. Morgana was gathering sorcerers and lots of them. Were these people here to fight for her too? Merlin wondered just who it was that he was being taken care of by…._

_The quicker he got back to Camelot, the better…._

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><p>Merlin felt like he needed to escape, for various reasons. One: Camelot was in danger because Morgana was raising an army to attack - again. Two: He needed to warn Arthur - again. Three: He was probably in one of the camps that were filled with the sorcerers that were intending to attack Camelot within the week - and they probably won't take well to Merlin warning their enemy of their coming.<p>

What Merlin had hoped to be an uneventful week off, had suddenly turned into another mission to protect Camelot, and its Prince. Couldn't he ever catch a break? Every time he started to think that everything seemed to be calming down, something would happen to shake up his world again – and it was always something to do with Morgana lately.

Merlin wanted to leave, he needed to, but it wouldn't be that easy, not without getting caught again. Or could he trust these people? Would they let him return to Camelot? When Anya had spoken to him, he felt like he could trust her, but he used to think the same of Morgana. He was about to get up and go to the entrance of the tent, in order to have a look around, when Anya stepped through again.

"Emrys, are you feeling any better? We all feel that the quicker that you leave here the better" she began.

Merlin stood in silence, his eyes widening in shock. Had she read his mind? At seeing Merlin's face, and mistaking it for him being offended, she continued.

"Not that we don't want you here, but there are a lot of enemies around, people who would probably wish to do you harm. More for the fact that you are the young Prince's servant than anything else, we don't even think that anyone from the other camps know that you are here" she explained, reminding Merlin a little of Gwen when she would start rambling, thinking that someone would have taken offense at something that she had said.

He smiled slightly.

'_Maybe they're not here to attack Camelot, considering she wants me to leave before they find me' _Merlin thought. _'But then why are they here?'_

He nodded his reply, walking to the door and out of the tent after her. Looking around, the camp looked vaguely like the one that he had once taken Morgana to, when he decided to help her with her magic. There were women and children dotted about, the children learning how to use magic, with their mothers watching carefully. Merlin saw a group of sorcerers at the other side of the camp, trying to put up another tent – one that looked like it had been damaged in the past, and had been repaired with spare material.

"We don't really use magic unless we have to, Emrys. We do not mind a little manual work, after all" Anya said, seeing Merlin's slightly confused look. "There is no point in using our magic to fix something, if it can be easily done in a few moments with your own hands".

This made Merlin feeling a little sheepish, thinking about how – when he had first came to Camelot – he was using his magic for the chores that Arthur had set him. Sure he didn't use it as much anymore, more due to Gaius' lectures than anything else, but he still used it for when he had no time to get it done. With the amount of chores that Arthur gave him, he would have ended up continuing into the night most of the time if it weren't for his magic. Sometimes he thought that Arthur just gave him loads of chores for one simple reason - he enjoyed annoying his manservant.

As he started walking about the camp, he noticed that a fair few heads kept turning in his direction, but whenever he turned to look at whoever it was that was staring at him that particular time, they would always look away, as if they had been caught doing something bad. Now he knew how Arthur felt when his people and a few of the servants acted like that.

"Emrys, may I introduce you to Sara? She's wanted to speak to you since she found out who you were" Anya started smiling as Sara slowly edged forwards, expecting Merlin to be angry at what she had done.

"Nice to meet you" Merlin said, holding out his hand.

She took it warily, not understanding why he wasn't shouting at her, ignoring her or anything that indicated his anger.

"Don't worry about earlier. If I were in your shoes, I'd have probably done the same thing" Merlin explained, sensing what was wrong. "What you did was impressive, I haven't met many people that could do that as well as you did".

Her face immediately lit up as she smiled. She was happy to find that all of that power hadn't gone to his head, he was perfectly polite. If it weren't for the fact that she knew better, she'd have thought him to be a completely normal person.

"Thank you, Lord Emrys" Sara replied.

"No, please, it's Merlin" He started.

"Lord Merlin-" She corrected.

"No, just Merlin" he interrupted. "I'm not a Lord, remember? Servant to Prince?" He continued, a little curious as to where that had come from.

Sara stared at him in shock.

"All the prophecies of you, they translate that a 'Lord Emrys will be the saviour of magic'. Yet you do not claim to be a Lord?"

"Definitely not" He said, cracking a smile. He knew exactly how Arthur would have reacted having heard her calling him a 'Lord'. He immediately tried to keep a straight face, knowing that Arthur would simply have burst out laughing – he didn't want her thinking that she was laughing at her.

That had only made her smile grow bigger, as she realized that Emrys – no, Merlin – was a good person, and had thankfully not been twisted evil by all that power.

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><p>The moment Arthur had thought of Ealdor, his thoughts flew to Merlin. If Morgana was heading east, then he could very easily run into her. With how Morgana seemed to really hate Merlin – which he found slightly odd – that would really not be a good thing.<p>

He had never really given it much thought, but ever since Morgana had returned to Camelot after being held 'prisoner' for a year, she had always been less kind towards Merlin. He had once caught her glaring and smirking at him, as if she was trying to threaten him to do something. It had happened quick, just something he saw in passing, so he had assumed that it was just a trick of the light. But now that her true colours had been shown, he wasn't so sure.

Arthur was stood in one of the long corridors, looking out of the window at the city that lay outside. Something was telling Arthur that he should go after Merlin and bring him back, but he had already been gone a full day. By his reckoning, Merlin should be arriving in Ealdor later on that day. He was unsure whether or not it would be a good idea going after Merlin, especially since he was needed in the castle.

"If you want, I will go and fetch him" said a voice that interrupted his thoughts.

Arthur looked around and found Lancelot watching him, smiling slightly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked quickly.

"Merlin, I know that you're probably worried, Arthur. I know I am" he replied, walking towards Arthur and stopping at his side.

Arthur sighed, "How is it that you can read my mind?" he mumbled, not intending for him to hear, but obviously he had when he saw Lancelot smile. "Thank you, Lancelot".

"No need, Sire. I would have probably gone with you if you had decided to go yourself or on my own if you were not going at all" he replied.

Knowing that Lancelot was going to go after Merlin put Arthur's thoughts at rest. He knew he would be much safer.

"If you find that he's already in Ealdor, bring his mother with you as well. I did say that he could have the week to visit her, so he might as well be able to do so" he added.

"See, Arthur, you do care".

"Shut up, Lancelot" he smirked.

"I thought Merlin was the only one you saved that comment for?"

"Only when it suits me do I use it for someone else" he replied. "Merlin's just the one that won't actually do it when I say to" he laughed.

"He never does as he's told, does he?"

"Nope, and it's beyond annoying".

The two men walking away from the corridor laughing, and Lancelot soon left to go prepare a horse and a pack. He would leave as soon as he could, knowing that it would take at least a day and a half to get to Ealdor. He knew that Merlin could take care of himself, but that didn't stop him worrying about his friend. Lancelot knew how powerful Morgana was, and Merlin needed to know that she could be in the area, especially with what he had told him about her.

Lancelot knew all about why Morgana really hated Merlin. When Merlin had finally answered Lancelot's questions about him and Morgana, he could see in Merlin's eyes that poisoning her was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

Morgana would love to find Merlin and kill him. He needed to find Merlin before she did.

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><p><strong>Another chapter done, bit shorter than the last, but the next part wouldn't really have went well as another part of this one.<strong>

**Reviews:**

**HplcMlVr - **great to hear that you're enjoying it :) thanks! I've got the whole plot written out, its just writing the last chapters that I've got to do :D

**FireChildSlytherin5 - **thanks! and thanks for the review too :D

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **hope I didn't keep you waiting too long - damn internet has been on the fritz =( oh well, at least it wasn't permanent :D thanks for the review!

**LittleMissUnPerfect -** thanks for the comments, and for the reivew! :D

**sarajm - **Morgana...mwah hahaha! lol sorry, just had to do it! She's getting so evil in the show right now, it's freaky - but in an awesome way XD

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and alerted. Puts a great big smile on my face! :D Hint hint? **

**Xx**


	7. Discoveries

**Sorry for the delay, stupid internet's been playing up, and I've been wanting to kick and scream at it, but since it's now working, I'll vent out my anger another way, or wait until it decides to play ' let's-annoy-the-student-who-hates-technology-when-it-screws-up' again! Okay, rant over, let's just get on with it :D**

**As usual all mistakes are mine. And - although it kinda goes without saying - 'Merlin' does not belong to me' - "Wait, what, really?" - and therefore the only profit I am getting is your fabulous reviews! :D**

**Here we go...**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Lancelot had started riding out towards Ealdor a good few hours ago, and yet he was still barely halfway to Ealdor. He tried to find the shortcut that Merlin had once told him about, but he had been unable to locate it, and was forced to turn around and head back to the road. He knew that it was a risk using up time trying to find a path that he knew he had no chance of finding without Merlin, but he had decided to try. It had only added another half an hour to his journey, so it was not all bad.<p>

He already knew the road to Ealdor, as he had travelled there before he had returned to Camelot – before Morgana had become Queen. He had visited Merlin's mother, after hearing about her from Merlin. Merlin had actually been the one to suggest it – he knew that his mother would help him if he ever needed it, so he had visited her, repaying her for her hospitality by helping with the village's harvest.

It was starting to get dark, so Lancelot knew that he had to stop and make camp. That was the price of starting out late in the day – less daylight to travel in. Once he had set up his tiny camp for one, Lancelot lay down on his bedroll. Then immediately sat back up again. Something or someone was nearby. He had heard something moving beyond the trees that were only just in front of him. He stood up, hand grasping at the hilt of his sword, and swung round when he heard a twig snap from behind him. He never knew that there was more than one person, and someone else was creeping up behind him.

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><p>Merlin was sat by the fire that one of the druids had set up, having being forced by Anya to at least sit and eat something before he leaves for Camelot. He sat next to her, watching the children that were running about, or creating flowers in the palm of their hands. It seemed so peaceful here; they had absolutely nothing to worry about, which made him wonder why they had come to Camelot. Surely if their group were so peaceful and content, they wouldn't travel all the way to Camelot, especially not with Uther still as King.<p>

So Merlin turned to Anya and asked her what had brought them there. He knew that they were no there to help Morgana, so what was it?

"We have come in the search of one of our own" Anya replied, looking sadly at the ground.

"What happened?" Merlin gently asked, knowing that whatever had happened, it was a sore spot for her, but he knew that sometimes talking about it was the best thing to do.

"A disagreement..." she started, looking back up. "Before I took over as leader of the clan, there was this…bitter man in my place. He cared nothing for others, yet somehow he had managed to become our leader – perhaps because he was so close to his predecessor, I don't really know…. Something happened to one of our charges. A young druid girl was harmed by a sorceress that used her magic for revenge, and he wouldn't help her, thinking that there was no point in it, because he could see no cure for her ailment".

"He sounds like a right piece of work" Merlin commented.

"He was" she nodded in reply. "Uther's hunting of our people turned him completely against helping others; he became so full of bitter and only helped those when he saw something in it for himself…"

"Who was she?" Merlin asked.

"An innocent girl, she had accidentally caused harm to another and despite this the sorceress decided to curse her…"

"Sounds like F-this girl I once knew….Her name was Freya…" Merlin added, looking to the ground as he thought of the druid girl that he still loved, even in death.

"Freya? You knew Freya?" Anya asked, suddenly sitting up straight, holding onto Merlin's arm. "She's the girl; we've been looking for her! Dark hair, pale skin? She was wearing a red druid dress the last time I saw her. Where is she? We found a cure, we need to find her!"

At her outburst, Merlin's heart felt like someone had stabbed at it with a knife. Freya was the girl that she had been looking for and they had somehow found a cure for her curse…but they didn't know of Freya's fate. How could he – practically a stranger to these people – tell them that the one person they had travelled so many miles to find…was dead?

"Um…she…she was captured by a man named Halig. I met her when he brought her to Camelot…" Merlin started. Anya's eyes started to fill with fear. "I managed to help her escape, but she…she was badly injured when we left…she didn't…"

He couldn't continue. Freya's death was still so fresh in his mind, despite that it was over a year ago now. He knew that she was in Avalon – a better place – and he had seen her again when Morgana had attacked Camelot…but he still missed her, and loved her deeply. He would never stop loving her.

Anya understood what it was that he was trying to say. It was obvious from the look in his eyes. The pain there made it impossible to mistake for another emotion. She started shaking her head, not wanting to believe it.

"She was my sister…" was all that she managed to say.

Merlin discovered that both Freya and Anya had shared the same mother, but had a different father, as hers was killed by Uther's men sometime after Anya's birth. The man who had used to be the leader of Anya's clan had died just over a year and a half ago, killed by soldiers of another Kingdom, when their camp was discovered. Anya had been chosen as their temporary leader that day, and hadn't been replaced since. Ever since, she – and the rest of the clan – had decided to search for Freya. None of them had agreed with him when he had banished Freya from the group. Druids never turned away those in need. Besides, they had magic. If Freya started attacking them, they would have used magic to prevent her from causing any real harm. They could have cast a sleeping charm on the Bastet, and simply left her asleep till morning.

But he had decided that she wasn't worth the trouble. He hadn't even bothered to talk to the sorceress that had cursed her in the first place, and try to get her to remove the curse. He had simply seen her as a complete lost cause. How he ever became a druid, Anya would never know.

"I'm so sorry…" Merlin finally said, after a moment's silence.

"Thanks…I'm glad that she found you. That she found love. At least she hadn't died unhappy in life…" Anya sobbed.

"Anya…I hate to ask this right now, but you don't know exactly what the other sorcerers are planning? With Morgana? I need to stop them somehow, they can't be allowed to take Camelot" Merlin started, stopping when Anya interrupted.

"I'm not sure, but there are people in the other camps that I would never have suspected of doing something like this. We druids are a peaceful people. We would never resort to violence unless it was a final resort. I think they just believe that all hope is lost. Some druids…they do not know of your existence. They all know of the prophecies, yes, but they do not know that Emrys is alive. Some believe that he – you – have not been brought into existence yet" Anya explained.

"They believe there is no hope?" Merlin repeated. "But they know that Arthur is the Once and Future King? Why would they have no hope?"

"They have seen how Arthur treated those with magic. He was appearing to grow to be more accepting of it, but he's suddenly turned against everything that is magic. Most druids do not know the real cause of the Pendragons distrust of magic. Many are not from these parts, and have not heard of how Morgana tried to take the throne last year, so they are unaware that it was her doing that made Arthur Pendragon start to hate magic once more".

"Then I must make them realize. If they are putting their trust in Morgana because they believe that she will bring about the prophecy, then they are wrong. She will only use them for their purpose in her plans, and then she will cast them aside when they are no longer useful" Merlin replied.

"Yes…we must talk to the leaders of the other clans and tribes. But if you choose this, Emrys, your identity will be revealed to all druids. Morgana will then know of your existence. The Lady Morgana has visited these woods more than once, to check up on the number of sorcerers she has at her will, if she comes here she will recognize you".

"Then I'll disguise myself, or something. Wouldn't be the first time I had to do something like that to protect my identity" Merlin smiled. Then he thought about her words. "We?"

"You didn't think I'd let you try and talk them out of this alone, did you? Besides, I am a trusted leader of a druid clan. Who better to arrange a meeting with the other leaders?" Anya pointed out.

Merlin nodded as he smiled, agreeing with her. "I'm just worried about if Morgana shows up and sees that you're helping me…"

"She won't do anything. She needs the support and power of all the other magic communities. Harming someone because they disagreed with her would not look well towards the druids, especially as we are more of a healing people than harming ones" she explained.

After a moment's thought, Merlin could see no other way to go around it. It seemed like the best idea. All he had to do was talk to the other clans, make them see sense. Perhaps if they realized that Emrys was indeed alive, then they would stop the fighting, and know that peace will come to them soon enough.

But even Merlin had his doubts about the future of magic – not that he'd ever tell them that. He too had seen how hateful Arthur was becoming towards magic. He was not yet as bad as his father, but after Morgana had betrayed him, he was definitely starting to think more like him when it came to magic. If magic was ever used to harm him, or anyone else in Camelot, Merlin doubted that his friendship with Arthur would survive once he found out the truth about him…about his magic.

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><p><strong>Finally! Been trying to get this chapter posted for two days now! Stupid internet - to see full rant see 'Thoughts of A Prince' - Bandits III. (it's my Merlin one-shotmini-series fic).**

**Reviews:**

**CANDi - **sorry about the delay :) same here! omg, i cannot wait for the next ep.! looks funny, and really sad for merlin at the same time :D thanks for the review!

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **thanks! :D hope it was as good as the last one :D thanks again for the review :D

**Heart of Diamond - **thanks! hehe everyone will just have to wait and find out what happens :D you're right that would be totally awesome! XD thanks for the fab review! :D

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **I know! I hope that Merlin's being portrayed correctly :) thanks for the review!

**Cookies and ice cream to every fabulous reader who favourited, alerted and reviewed! I think you're all brilliant! :D**

**Xx**


	8. Endellion

**Okay, you guys are going to hate me after this chapter, cause it is really short compared to my other ones, but I'm going to be away for a few days, so it's this today or nothing till next week SORRY! please don't attack me with pitchforks! **

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

****When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**  
><strong>

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><p>When Lancelot finally woke up, he found that his feet were tied together, and his hands were tied behind his back. Before struggling around, alerting his captors that he was awake, he listened for any movement. He was rewarded by hearing conversation that was being aggressively discussed amongst the men – and, to his surprise – women that had apprehended him.<p>

"He is a knight of Camelot-".

"-Even more reason not to-".

"-But she will thank us, and this will give us an advantage-".

"Think about what you're saying!"

"I am thinking! You clearly are not!"

"Why are you lot arguing about this? There is no other choice!"

"She'll kill him if he hand him over-"

"-She'll torture him first, for information-".

"We can't let her do that-".

"Why does it concern us? We don't know him; he is no concern of ours!"

"How can you say something like that - you're condemning an innocent person!"

"If we go against her, she'll kill the lot of us! Do you honestly want to face the consequences of that?"

"ENOUGH!"

Silence spread throughout the camp as a very loud, and very powerful male voice yelled above the others. Lancelot knew that it was him that they were arguing about, and if their words were anything to go by, they were debating about handing him over to someone. '_Three guesses who?'_ Lancelot thought to himself, already knowing the answer.

"I do not think that time should be wasted arguing over something that none of you have the power to control. We are not condemning that man to face the Lady Morgana's wrath. We all know exactly what will happen" the voice continued.

"But if we do not-".

"I do not believe that you are in charge of what is done here, Gareth. I am, and until we know all the facts, including what the young man is doing here, we will not pass judgement" the leader interrupted, his voice powerful, as if daring the man to speak out against him.

Lancelot decided that now would be a good time to wake up, managing to sit up to get a better look around the camp that the group had set up. Maybe if he told them that he was just passing through, that he meant no harm and was only trying to find a friend, they would listen. He doubted that they would let him go, after all he would now discover where their camp is, and who was there, but at least they might not hand him over to Morgana.

"Ah, I see the young man is finally awake. I trust Gareth did not leave any lasting effects when he rendered you unconscious?" a tall brunette, asked him, walking towards him.

He wore a set of brown robes, with delicate stitching around the hem, neckline and cuffs. Upon closer inspection, they would show symbols bearing the mark of the old religion, showing that this man was actually one of the last remaining priests of the old religion – a very powerful sorcerer indeed.

"My name is Lael, I am the leader of the Endellion Druid Clan" he continued.

"Endellion?" Lancelot asked.

"It means 'fire soul'. All druids have the ability to manipulate an element, usually only one element. All those who belong to Endellion have a particular gift when it comes to fire" Lael explained.

Lancelot nodded in understanding.

"And you? Who are you? Obviously a knight of Camelot, your red cape with the Pendragon crest makes it hard to believe otherwise".

"I am Lancelot" he answered.

"Lancelot? Very well, what were you doing here? Entering our camp, were you planning on slaughtering our kind, just as the Kind would order?"

"No" he answered without hesitation. Lael, along with quite a few others, practically jumped in shock. The quickness of his answer, and the look in Lancelot's eyes made it clear to them that he was telling the truth. "I was trying to find my way to the Kingdom that was once Cenred's. I have a friend just over the border, I was going to find him and take him home".

Lael seemed to take a moment to think over Lancelot's words. He finally nodded, and turned to one of the men behind him, speaking to him quietly. Lancelot soon found himself being taken to one of the tents that had been built in the clearing, and his feet were untied. Telling him to rest, and that food and water would arrive for him soon, the man that Lael had been talking to left the tent, returning to his people. He left Lancelot wondering what it was that they were going to do with him.

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><p><strong>Okay, I know that this is really short, but I plan on updating again on Monday – Tuesday at the latest. If I didn't post this then there would probably be nothing until next week – going away this weekend and my internet on my phone won't let me update anything – never has before, and I don't want to leave it in case it does it again, so this is your lot. Don't worry, the next part will be up MonTues – how could it not after all the fabulous alerts, favourites and reviews I received for the last chapter?**

**Reviews:**

**EvilCabbagezPwn –** so good to hear that! I've probably disappointed you with this short update then haven't I? Sorry, but thanks for the review!

**Heart of Diamond – **THANKS! Really great to know that people feel that way :D thanks for the review!

**HplcMlVr –** lol, bit of a strange twist, but I just loved her character! Glad to hear that you like Anya! :) and Lancelot, well, he's in a bit of a pickle XD thanks for the review!

**Thanks again to everyone, and once more I am really sorry for the shortness of this. The next one should be a lot better, I promise :D**

**Xx**


	9. A Man of Two Families

**As usual I do not own 'Merlin', all mistakes are mine - well, doy! - and I hope that you guys enjoy it! :D Not much of an Author's Note, but hay! Not got much to say at the moment except omg! Merlin on Saturday had me jumping out of my seat at the end - so scared for Merlin at the end there! :D**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin lifted the hood of the dark blue cape that Anya had given him. It completely hid his face, covering him completely in darkness. It would be good to hide his identity, but there was always a chance that it could fall down. With a couple of whispered words, Merlin made sure that nothing could remove the hood, not unless someone actually removed it with their own hands. The only problem now was the voice, but Merlin had had practise at that before – with Dragoon. Even though age had changed his voice, his eighty year-old self still sounded like his normal self, and therefore had to be disguised.<p>

He left the tent, and found Anya and another sorcerer, Kiran. Kiran was not the most skilled of sorcerers. He mainly dealt in healing with herbs and the like, but he had a rather strong gift when it came to creating fire. He was very well accomplished in creating fire and being able to manipulate it without even having to speak – something only few magical beings have the ability to do.

According to Anya, there were few sorcerers that actually favoured Morgana's methods of achieving 'peace', and even fewer were leaders of druid clan or tribes. Being a leader herself, she already knew most of the other leaders personally, and if not then through another person. This is why Kiran was there. Kiran was raised in another clan altogether, but had decided to join the Amala due to his skill with medicine. There was nothing else he could do to better his ability with fire anyway, so he knew that staying would be pointless when he could be furthering his knowledge in other aspects of magic.

"Kiran, I wanted to thank you for helping out with this. It's much appreciated" Merlin started, turning to Kiran as they walked towards the other side of camp.

"Think nothing of it, my Lord-".

"Again, Kiran, it's 'Merlin', please" Merlin interrupted. He would never get used to being called that.

"Although it might be better if everyone were actually to call you 'Emrys'. That way no one slips up in front of those you would rather not discover your secret" Anya replied.

"Good point" Merlin commented, nodding his head.

"Very well – Emrys. There is no need to thank me, I believe firmly in the world that you and the future King will build. If there is any way that I can help be a part of that, I would gladly do so. And it will be good to see the people that I grew up with. I haven't seen them in a while, and it's like being separated from one half of my family – the Amala being the other half" Kiran continued.

"And you are family to us too, Kiran" Anya agreed, smiling.

Merlin sensed that there was something else being said, and knew that there was more between those two than just a strong friendship. He never understood how the Druids had received such a bad and violent reputation amongst the five kingdoms, when they were so peaceful and such a kind community of people.

He hated how Uther had twisted the truth, making it appear that all magic users were evil and dangerous. Sure there were some who would do nothing but evil deeds with their magic, but the majority of the magical community tried to live in peace; something it seemed that they were not allowed to do, what with the occurring attacks and hunting of their – his – kind.

"And these people – you believe that they will help us?" Merlin asked, disliking having to spoil some unspoken moment between the two, but the question needed to be asked.

Kiran looked back to the man standing hidden inside his cloak. He took a moment to think seriously about the question.

"If I know them, which I do, then they will be scared – most everyone is nowadays. They'll be scared of the possibility of war, of the possibility of needless bloodshed. But they'll also be scared of Morgana. The only reason that they'll be here is because they know how powerful she is – they can sense her talent with the fire element, also. But if they realize that you are here, that you know that one day the young prince will free us all…then I'm sure that they will come around to your way of thinking" he finally replied.

"So, no pressure then" Merlin mumbled.

Both sorceress and sorcerer chuckled. "Nope, none whatsoever" Anya replied, still smiling. Merlin couldn't help it – he started laughing slightly too. He knew that he would not be alone in this. He had Anya – a druid clan leader – and Kiran to help persuade this group, and many of the rest of the Amala had connections with other clans too.

"What's the name of this clan that we're headed to?" Merlin finally asked.

"It's the original fire based clan. Endellion" Kiran replied.

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><p>Lancelot awoke after a couple of hours later. He had been left inside the tent for nearly an hour, completely alone, before he decided to get some sleep. It was strange, being held captive by magical users who could easily kill you with a single word, and yet he was being treated rather more like a guest than like a prisoner – for now. He knew that they would seriously be discussing what to do with him, and that there were still some people who believed that he should be handed over to Morgana.<p>

Surely they wouldn't actually do such a thing? He, unlike most people, knew that the druids were a peaceful people, and generally stayed away from violence and the like, but then what were they doing there? It sounded like they were afraid of the Lady Morgana, but weren't there more of them then her? If they wanted to fight against her, surely they could do so, no problem? _'Morgana can't be that powerful…?' _Lancelot thought.

He remembered how Merlin had talked about her. She had never seemed that powerful to Merlin before she had disappeared for an entire year. After that, Merlin had told him that Morgana had learnt a few tricks, some things that Morgause had told her about, but nothing big. But when she had taken over Camelot, she seemed to radiate power and magic. Just how powerful was she becoming?

Suddenly interrupting his thoughts, two people entered his tent, one carrying a bowl of soup and a plate of solid foods. Placing them down on the small bed that Lancelot had previously vacated, the smaller man – no boy, Lancelot noticed – left the tent again, and his attention was drawn to the other remaining person. Lael stood before him, in different blue coloured robes – which still had some of the delicate stitching of the old religion around the cuffs and hem.

"Lael" Lancelot said, as a way of acknowledging the man before him, not really knowing what else to do in the presence of a sorcerer. Admittedly, he had had practise with Merlin, but he was different. He was friends with Merlin before he had discovered his abilities, and technically Merlin was a warlock, not a sorcerer – he always made the distinction known, knowing that Merlin was no ordinary magical sorcerer. He was so much more powerful.

"Lancelot, please eat, I'm sure you are well rested, and must be needing nourishment" Lael replied, a small smile on his lips.

He eyes the food carefully, not sure how to interpret that smile.

"If we were going to kill you, young knight, we would have already done so. Besides, we believe that killing is a last resort, only to be used in self-defence" Lael commented, seeing Lancelot's look.

"Sorry, you should blame my caution on the many experiences I've had with other magical beings. They all tend to want to either kill me, the future king, a friend, or all of the above" Lancelot replied, smiling in return.

"Yes, I'm afraid that there are many who give us the rest of us peaceful sorcerers a very bad name in that respect. In many cases, I believe that it all tends to travel back to trying to achieve some sort of revenge" Lael continued. "Unfortunately the Great Purge still affects many of us, even if some of us were not around for most or any of it".

"It is unfortunate" Lancelot agreed.

"You believe so?" Lael questioned.

Lancelot hesitated, before realizing that he was not technically in Camelot, and this would never get back to anyone. "I do not share my King's views on magic, I find him greatly misled. I have seen magic used for good on many occasions; I have seen it save lives. Something that can save lives, protect them and heal them cannot be all bad".

Lael nodded in agreement, smiling more now.

"I believe you to be telling the truth, you seem like a very loyal, but honest knight. Tell me, where have you seen magic used for such deeds?"

"I'm afraid I can't really speak of such things. To do so would be to put said person in danger. Even though I'm sure you would never betray a fellow sorcerer, it is better that you do not know".

"You have a point, Sir Lancelot. But then, am I correct in thinking that this sorcerer resides within Camelot-?" Lael continued, looking doubtful and shocked at the possibility of such a thing – not every magical being knew of Emrys actions after all.

"Warlock" Lancelot corrected before he could help himself. He cursed himself mentally for revealing that information.

"I'm sorry? A Warlock?"

Deciding that there wasn't really much harm anymore, "Yes, he was born with magic, which therefore makes him a warlock, not a sorcerer, does it not?" he asked.

"Yes…yes it does…" Lael replied, still shocked. "There is a warlock within Camelot's walls? How they have not yet been discovered it a mystery….But, you know of the difference between the two? I'm shocked further. I was under the impression that no knight of Camelot cared for the difference, believed us all the same".

"Not all of us".

"I apologize for my assumption" He smiled in return. "It appears that I am going to have to change a few things about my beliefs".

"Like, I said, I have seen magic used for good, and therefore I cannot truly believe that magic is completely evil. Magic is like a sword; it depends on how the wielder controls the weapon not the other way around".

Lael nodded, still smiling.

A second later, the man that had originally taken Lancelot to his tent appeared at the entrance, beckoning him towards him, with news that was obviously not for Lancelot's ears. Lael looked away for a second to think about whatever it was the man had told him, turned back and nodded in the affirmative.

"Would you please excuse me? It appears I am needed elsewhere at the moment, but I will return shortly. Please eat something, you must be hungry" Lael explained to Lancelot, directing the knights attention to the food waiting for him on the bed.

A few moments later, and Lael had left the tent. As Lancelot sat down to start eating something – it appears his stomach couldn't last much longer, empty as it was – he could hear voices from outside the tent, which sounded like Lael and others that he could not identify. Their voices were muffled anyway. It sounded like he was happily greeting someone, who had just entered the camp.

After a moment of panic, Lancelot realized that it couldn't have been Morgana – no one within the camp would have greeted Morgana so warmly.

Halfway through his meal, which was actually pretty good, the boy who had brought in his food appeared in his tent once more.

"Lael wishes your presence outside, Sir Knight" he said, standing rather formally, like a servant in Camelot would – unless that servant was Merlin of course.

"Please, call me Lancelot, err…" he started.

"Evan, Sir, um, Lancelot…" he replied.

Lancelot gave the boy an encouraging smile, and was happy to see that the boy returned it. Stepping outside, Lancelot finally got to have a look around the camp. He realized that Lael must finally be learning to trust him if he were allowing him to look around at the camp. He saw that there were several other tents in the area, all seeming to be circled around a rather large fire that had been built inside a ring of stones and bricks. Around the fire were several logs, upon which there were several people sitting upon them. Upon the one furthest away from him, facing him, he saw Lael, a unfamiliar looking man, who was sitting next to a brunette woman, and a tall man who was covered by a cloak.

As he approached, all four turned their heads towards him and he saw the cloaked man stand and start walking towards him. He almost started stepping backwards, away from the man who was slowly now approaching him.

"Lancelot?" the man said, sounding completely surprised at Lancelot's presence.

He knew that voice. Could it be possible?

"Merlin?"

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**EvilCabbagezPwn** – thanks! I know it was short, but at least this was at least double the length! Lol not many times I'm going to be able to say that XD thanks for the review!

**Heart of Diamond** – hope this was a better length :) great to hear that you enjoyed it despite it's length :D thanks for the review!

**I never expected one review to be completely honest, considering how quickly I'm attempting to post this :D So two is fabulous! Hehe! Cookies and ice cream to EvilCabbagezPwn and Heart of Diamond, thanks for you reviews!**

**Xx**


	10. A Knight Of Camelot

**Of course, I do not own Merlin, and all mistakes are my own. Currently watching 'Children In Need' - always do, its one of the best ways to help raise money for charity! :D Those people that get involved do so much to raise as much as they possibly can - they are fabulous!**

**Hope that everyone is doing well. It's been really hard to write for this fic recently, work at Uni's suddenly jumped up, so I've been writing whenever I can - involving writing memo's on my phone, just so I remember what I want to write when I get back home (otherwise I would completely forget!).**

**Anyway enough from me, enjoy! :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin walked side by side with Anya and Kiran while they walked towards the camp of Endellion. Every step, Merlin could hear his hear beat, louder and louder. He had never been one for speeches – that was Arthur's job – and this would require some inspirational words from him in order to really convince others to join him. He worried about how they would react to seeing him – the 'Emrys' him. If they reacted the same way as the others had back in the Amala clan, then he could possibly be able to convince them a lot easier, but he knew that there were those who believed that Emrys was a traitor to his own kind for protecting the Pendragon family.<p>

"Do you think it a good idea to hide who I am from them?" Merlin started. "Would that not give them less reason to trust me? If I hid my identity?"

Anya seemed to take a moment to think about what Merlin had said.

"I'll be honest – there are a few whom I know that it would be best for you to hide your identity from. It depends how they react to your presence, I suppose. If there is no doubt in their mind about what side they are on, then you would be better showing them who you truly are, if not, then it would be best to remain hidden" Anya explained.

"And what about those from the Endellion clan? Do you think that they can be trusted?"

"I know the leader, and a fair few others, as does Kiran. Many of them I know will immediately jump to your side, but there are others that have more recently joined the clan that we are unsure about. It may take some time, and some motivating words on your part, but i think that if they are truly the people I hope and believe them to be, then they will come around" Anya finished.

Merlin nodded in affirmation that he had heard her, smiling slightly at that thought that they would 'come around'. He knew not to believe it would be easy – or even that all of them would turn against Morgana – and some might not even listen to him, but he had to try. He had to get them to remember that violence should not be the answer, and should only be used as a last resort. The druids were famous for believing in that - that violence should not be encouraged – but Morgana had somehow managed to make them forget their beliefs, and now it was Merlin's job to lead them back to the path that they were on.

Upon entering the camp – which looked a lot more organised than the Amala, what with tents in an orderly fashion around the fire – there were many people split up around the camp, talking quietly amongst themselves, as if afraid someone else would overhear their conversations. Something had happened recently, he could tell that much – the tension was still thick in the air, so they had obviously had a large debate over something.

They were approached by three men, tall and wearing robes that Merlin thought only someone like Gaius could pull off. As they stood in front of them, one of them let a great smile grow on his face when he saw Kiran, immediately stepped forwards and enveloped him in a hug, which the young healer returned.

"Kiran! What are you doing here? It's great to see you again" began the man whom Kiran now let go.

"It's been a while. It's great to see you too! I've come here with Anya, I suppose you remember…?" Kiran asked.

"Why, yes of course! Anya, leader of the Amala, what a great honour it is to see you again" the man replied, bowing his head slightly in Anya's direction, a smile still on his face.

"And you, Liam. You haven't changed in the slightest" Anya replied.

"Clearly you can't see the grey hair that I've cleverly managed to hide – from stress, more than age, I assure you" he laughed in reply.

"Lillian still giving you a hard time?"

"Is she that predictable?" he joked. "I've managed to get some peace since coming to Camelot though – she used to be close friends with a couple of people in another camp, so she's gone to visit them while we're here".

"Speaking of friends from other camps, I'd like you to meet Emrys" Anya began, turning to look at Merlin – or what she could see of him, what with his hooded cloak doing its job so well.

"Nice to meet you" Merlin started, not entirely sure what else to say – what else was he supposed to say to someone who's suddenly turned to look at him in complete shock, mouth hanging open and eyes wide? That was when he saw that the other two men had turned as well, hearing his name.

Not only that, but the entire camp had suddenly gone quiet. Before, despite the camp members whispering, there was still a low buzz of noise, now there was nothing.

"Emrys? Are you truly him?" Liam finally managed to ask.

"Um…yes, I am" Merlin replied, still unsure of what to do.

"Well then…welcome to camp Endellion" Liam said, the smile on his face widening more than it had been before.

Liam, Anya, and Merlin moved over to the logs around the camp fire, while Kiran left them to it and wandered around camp, greeting his old friends as he came across them. As Merlin walked beside Anya, whenever they passed another druid, they would bow their heads towards him, as if he were royalty.

"Is there any way to stop them from doing that?" Merlin whispered to Anya.

"Only by telling them all, and even then it will probably be hard to break the habit" She started. "We grew up hearing and learning about all the great things that you can and will do, Emrys, so I suppose to some people you are a little like royalty. It's good to see that you don't let all that power go to your head though – most people probably would".

Anya's words made him laugh as they sat on the log closest to the fire.

Liam turned around to one of the men that he had been with when he had greeted them, and asked him to fetch another man called Lael. Turning back to Merlin and Anya he explained who Lael was.

"Lael is the leader of our group of druids, and knowing him I'm sure that he would really like to meet you, Lord Emrys. Lael is one of the last of the priests of the old religion, and knows everything about the prophecies better than anyone else here" Liam explained.

"If Lael is leader, do you mind my asking what job it is that you do?" Merlin asked, as he had been starting to think that the man before him was the leader. Seeing how Liam had reacted to 'Emrys's' presence had made Merlin feel a little more at ease – if the leader of the group sides with him, then the most likely result would be that the entire clan could also be persuaded.

The boy returned a moment later with another tall man walking beside him. Merlin had seen this man – Lael – come out of one of the tents that was almost directly in front of him, were it not for the camp fire, and start walking towards them.

Liam stood as Lael approached, and Anya and Merlin felt inclined to do the same.

"Anya! So good to see you again!" came Lael's greeting upon seeing the woman that stood beside him.

"Same here, Lael" Anya replied, returning the smile that he gave her.

Lael then turned to face 'Emrys'. His smile dropped for a second, unsure what to make of the man standing in front of him. So many stories had been told about the great and powerful Emrys, and here he was standing before him – like he was just another man. Lael was a little shocked to see that Emrys was hiding within his cloak, but was not offended by it – he knew that Emrys' identity would be better off remaining as a secret, in case those like Morgana discovered it. He hoped that he would trust him enough to reveal his face one day, but knew that that trust had to be eared, he wouldn't trust him immediately.

"Emrys…I must tell you it is an honour to meet you at last" Lael started.

"Thank you, the same for me. I've heard a few things about you from Anya and Kiran".

"All good things I hope?" Lael replied, smiling.

"Of course" Emrys replied, amusement in his voice, but smile hidden under the hood.

"Please, sit" Lael said, indicating the log that they had just vacated. Once they were sat down, Lael continued. "I must say when I was told that Anya was here, with you – Emrys – I didn't believe it".

"No?"

"No, we were not sure if you even existed in this world yet, whether or not you had even been born" Lael replied. "It is a relief to finally know that you are here".

Merlin didn't know what to say, it was still a shock to know that people looked up to him so much. Realizing that he wouldn't be speaking soon, Anya continued for him.

"I'm afraid that this isn't just a social visit, Lael" she began. "We have come to discuss the events that are taking place within Camelot, those concerning the war that…someone is trying to start".

Lael thought for a moment. "You are of course referring to the Lady Morgana?"

"I'm afraid Morgana no longer holds that title, she has turned against Camelot, and therefore everything that goes with it" Emrys added, a touch of sadness in his voice.

"You sound as if you know her well" Lael replied.

"I thought I did…"Emrys began. "I know Camelot well, and seeing as Camelot used to be her home, I also got to know her…"

"You know Camelot?" Lael asked. "Then you know the people?"

"Yes, I suppose I do" Emrys replied, wondering where this line of questioning was heading.

"Then I must ask you to advise me, Emrys, for the camp has recently reached a point where we cannot go forward without arguing amongst ourselves".

"Why? What has happened?" Emrys asked, leaning forwards slightly.

"Several hours ago, a man walked close to our camp, if we hadn't used magic to render him unconscious, he would have entered our camp. At first we believed that he was here to attack us, slaughter more of our kind".

"Why would you think that?"

"This man is a knight of Camelot" Lael answered.

Merlin sat up straight at Lael's words. One of the knights had come after him – that was the only explanation that he could think of that seemed possible. Had Gwaine decided to follow him anyway? It couldn't have been Arthur – they would have mentioned that immediately if it were, surely? What if it was Arthur? How was he supposed to hide who he was from him? Arthur knew him far too well for Merlin to successfully hide his identity.

"Perhaps I should have someone fetch him, I'm know that you will know whether or not to truly trust what this man says or not" Lael explained.

Then he turned around to a boy, who couldn't have been over sixteen, and he walked up to the tent that Lael had come out of earlier. Merlin looked back to Lael.

"Has this person explained why they were close to your camp?" he asked, trying to work out who it was.

"He has. He said that he was headed towards Cenred's old kingdom. He was trying to find someone across the border" Lael answered.

That confirmed Merlin's suspicions. It had to be Gwaine.

However, his belief was shattered when it wasn't Gwaine that walked out of the tent, but he did see someone else he recognized walking towards him.

"Lancelot?" he said, walking forwards slightly towards the man.

The moment he had spoken to his friend, he saw the recognition in Lancelot's face. He knew that Lancelot had recognized his voice. It was made even more obvious when the man before him replied.

"Merlin?" he replied, never having looked more shocked.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**ReadingRaven019 - **thanks! same here, couldn't split up our boys for too long :D hope you enjoyed it!

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**Xx**


	11. Trusting A Servant

**Do own, so don't sue - why would I own it and put stuff up on this site? sounds a little ridiculous, but hay! I'm not gonna be one to judge if the writers are actually doing that - despite the fact that they should probably be better making them into more awesome Merlin episodes!**

**I think this is one of the longest chapters yet!**

**No beta, so mistakes are mine - if you guys see any that really annoy you please tell me so I can change it. Ta! :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Seeing Lancelot standing before him was not what the young warlock was expecting. He would not have been surprised to see Gwaine – as he had previously tried to convince Merlin that taking him along on the trip would be the best thing to do – but Lancelot? Not only that, Lancelot had just said his name. How many people had heard him?<p>

Lancelot was thinking the exact same thing at that moment. It was clear from Merlin's hooded cloak that he was trying to hide his identity, and he had basically just destroyed the entire thing. But what on earth was Merlin doing there? He was supposed to be in Ealdor? _'Why is it whenever something happens, Merlin somehow always gets involved one way or another?' _Lancelot thought. His friend was going to end up seriously hurt one day if he wasn't careful enough. He still couldn't believe that it was Merlin that was standing before him. Relief washed over him, as he knew about Merlin being 'Emrys' might be helpful in this situation, but he still couldn't help but be worried. What if these people decided to side with Morgana? Before revealing Merlin's identity, Merlin might have been pretending to be on their side - pretending to be a spy. But now? Now there was no way that that would work. He had just revealed who Emrys really was, and if Morgana got hold of that information... Had he just accidentally betray Merlin to evil sorcerers?

Merlin and Lancelot looked at one another for a moment, before Merlin realized that Lael and Anya were standing on either side of him. Lancelot looked between the three people and – thankfully – never said another word. He had realized by the tensing of Merlin's shoulders that these people were not aware of the manservants' true identity. But looking at the woman who was standing on Merlin's left side looked between Lael and Merlin, looking as if she knew that secret information had just been given away, so he realized that there was at least the possibility that she knew of who Merlin really was.

Merlin looked around him, trying to see if someone had heard Lancelot. Thankfully he hadn't said his name very loudly, limiting the number of people that could have heard them. Looking at the people within the area, it seemed that no one had really noticed. They were all still within their own conversations – no doubt talking about the whole 'what to do with the prisoner' issue. But the one person whom Merlin knew to have heard Lancelot surprised exclamation was Lael. He saw the man looking at him, surprise evident on his face – clearly this man knew who the name was related to.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere a little more private?" Lael asked, looking at Emrys.

At Emrys' nod, they started following Lael towards the tent that Lancelot had just come from. Merlin fell in line beside Lancelot, while Anya went to the side to get Kiran. Liam told Lael that he would return in a moment, being called over to help one of the children learn a spell. Entering the tent, Lael asked the boy from before if he could collect another chair, seeing as they were one short. He returned shortly, and now everyone had a seat – Merlin, Lancelot and Anya on the bed, Kiran and Lael on chairs.

"I take it then that you do know this man?" Lael asked his hand waving in Lancelot's direction as he addressed Merlin.

"Indeed. Sir Lancelot is one of my close friends back in Camelot, I assure you that he can be trusted with whatever it is that needs to be discussed here today" Merlin replied.

While Lancelot felt honoured to hear his friend put so much trust in him, he didn't feel like he could speak. He was worried about saying something else that could further damage the disguise that he was trying to keep – not that it was probably going to work anymore now.

"Very well. I take it that the name he called you is indeed your true name from Camelot? I understand now, even more than before, why you wanted to keep your identity a secret" Lael replied. "I do not believe many heard, so there should be no need to worry. Even if someone had heard, I assure you that they will keep it a secret – our first alliance is with you, not the Lady Morgana, or others on her side".

"Thank you. So you know what position I hold within the castle then?" Merlin asked.

"Of course, news of your other – true – identity has spread through our people just as much as news of your prince has".

"Of me?"

"Certainly, although that is mainly because many of our kind hear of the fool that continuously spoils the Lady Morgana's plans to take over or destroy Camelot" Lael replied, a smile on his face.

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle in response. "I can't say I'm surprised, I've heard her complain about me often enough…"

Here Lancelot couldn't hold his tongue anymore. He had to say something now that the topic was on Morgana.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but concerning the Lady Morgana, that was why I was sent in this direction" here Lancelot turned to Merlin. "Arthur sent me to find you, Merlin, he has heard news of Morgana moving to these forests, and wanted you to return to Camelot".

Merlin took a moment to think. "I can't, I'm sorry Lancelot, but I must stay here. At least for the moment".

"What? Merlin, Morgana is here! You can't stay here! If she finds you-".

"She won't. Before you came on over my disguise was working quite well" Merlin chuckled. "Besides with more people here that I know I can trust with my identity, I know that it will be easier to keep it a secret".

"Precisely, I'm sure that both Lael and I will help you in any way possible to keep your identity hidden" Anya added, Lael nodding at her words.

"Thank you" Merlin replied.

"Merlin-".

"Lancelot, please…Morgana is gathering followers, she means to gather an army of sorcerers and witches and then attack Camelot. If Camelot is attacked by that many magic users at once, it won't survive. There is a chance that I can convince them not to follow her and I fully intend to take that chance".

"Why does it always have to be you, Merlin?" Lancelot said after thinking for a moment.

Merlin chuckled. "That's the same question I've been asking for the past four years, my friend".

"What am I supposed to say to Arthur? I can't exactly tell him that you're…well 'Emrys, great and all powerful warlock, who is trying to protect the entire kingdom'".

"I honestly don't know…" Merlin replied. "Tell him I'm safe and that…"

"Could you not tell him that you have a source within one of the camps? That this man can be trusted – that you've known him from years before?" Anya asked.

"That…might work…" Merlin thought, and then remembered. "Years ago when Arthur came with me to Ealdor, he believed that a close friend of mine was a sorcerer, when he was actually covering for me. Because this man had saved Arthur's life, he seemed to accept that not all magic users were evil – I can only hope that he still believes that…"

Lancelot was about to comment, say that Arthur would accept the fact that Merlin had magic – those two were like unspoken brothers, for crying out loud! – But Merlin continued.

"I need you to tell him that someone who I used to know – someone through Will, my friend – is within one of the camps, and that he has told me that they do not want to follow Morgana. Tell Arthur that I am staying here so that I can find out all that I can about Morgana's plan through this man".

"You've got to admit that that story is a little weak, Merlin? What if he asks a name of the sorcerer?" Lancelot replied.

"Then tell him the truth. Tell him that the warlock – not sorcerer, warlock – is called Emrys. With any luck, he might ask Gaius if he knows the name. If he can get Gaius to tell Arthur about the prophecies, then there is a chance that he might trust 'Emrys' more".

Lancelot agreed to do what Merlin asked – only because it was his friend that had asked him. He knew that Arthur would not like the idea of Merlin being right in the thick of it, but he could see no other way to hide the reason for Merlin's absence.

As if reading his friend's mind, Merlin began to speak again. "Do not worry, Lancelot. I am perfectly safe here".

"Sure, right in the centre of the beginning of another war, side by side with sorcerers whom you're not sure you can trust yet, and with Morgana close by while you attempt to hide from her" Lancelot replied.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Merlin started, laughing slightly. "Besides, there are some sorcerers and sorceresses that I already trust, I just haven't met the other druid groups yet" Merlin continued, smiling in order to appear confident.

Lancelot was able to see right through the act. Merlin was nervous, he could tell. He didn't know if the other groups would be as accepting of him and as defiant of Morgana. He didn't know these people, they were completely unpredictable. Trusting these people not to betray him and all of Camelot, and turning back to Morgana, was a huge risk on Merlin's part, something he was fully aware of.

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><p>Within the hour, Lael asked for Lancelot's pack and his horse to be brought to him, so that he could make his way back to Camelot. Merlin stood at Lancelot's side as he packed his stuff, the hood still hiding his face – Lael and Liam seemed to be the only people other than Anya to have even paid attention to Lancelot when he had revealed Merlin. Liam had had everything explained to him from Kiran and Anya, leaving Merlin alone with Lancelot.<p>

"Tell Arthur to be careful, not to do anything rash, you know what he's like, he'll get some half-baked idea and go into it head first. The dollop head just can't stop and think sometimes, he's too thick headed. Just make sure that he doesn't start heading in this direction, tell him that 'Emrys' will be in contact with him, and that he will give him any information that he has, let him know that he can trust me-him-the warlock-Emrys-"

"Merlin!" Lancelot interrupted. Merlin had been saying all of this very fast, and had started pacing somewhere though his rant, only stopping on hearing Lancelot call his name. "I know that you're worried about Arthur, but right now I think there's more possibility of you getting into something without thinking" he smiled. "Either Arthur's having a bad effect on you, or you on him. You're both just as bad as each other".

"Oi! I resent that! I am nothing like Arthur, I am far more talented to start with-"he grinned.

"But just as stubborn, determined, and persistent" Lancelot added. "Yeah, you're right, you two are nothing alike" he laughed. "And be careful yourself, okay? When I tell Arthur that you'll be returning soon, I'd prefer it if that promise was kept, I always keep my promises".

"I will, if I'm not Anya has decided that she's going to slip in a sleeping draught into my food anyway, so…" Merlin commented, leading both men into laughter.

"I barely know the woman and I can already tell that that sounds like something she would do" Lancelot replied, still laughing.

A few minutes, and Lancelot was on his way, Merlin standing somewhere behind him, watching his friend heading home. Part of him wished that he was going with him, but he knew that he needed to stay if he were going to convince the druids to stop the fight before it began.

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><p>Arriving in Camelot, Lancelot didn't stop his horse until he was in the courtyard. He saw Arthur and Percival walking down the steps towards him. Once they had seen him, they obviously started walking faster, realizing that Merlin was not with him.<p>

"Lancelot! Where is he? Where's Merlin?" Arthur asked immediately, worry clear on his face – not that he would ever admit it.

"He's okay, Arthur, don't worry. He's completely fine, but he's unable to return just yet" Lancelot started. "Perhaps we should discuss this inside, and with the others? It would be easier to just explain this to all of you at the same time".

Arthur's shoulders dropped in relief when he heard that Merlin was fine, but when he heard that he was unable to return, they tensed up again. Beside him, Percival was curious more than worried – he knew that Merlin could handle more than he would let on, and he knew that if Lancelot – one of Merlin's closest friends – said that he was alright, then it had to be true.

Heading back inside, Arthur beckoned to a couple of servants and asked them to fetch the other knights – the ones that belonged to the round table. Percival and Lancelot headed towards the physician's quarters to bring Gaius, while Arthur searched for Gwen, knowing her to be with his father. It took another few minutes for everyone to arrive and settle down upon hearing that Merlin had not returned – Gwaine offered to ride out and force Merlin to come back with him and, despite how tempted Arthur was to accept, he decided to listen to Lancelot's explanation first.

Lancelot slowly explained the story that Merlin had come up with, letting the news sink in, allowing the men – and woman – to accept what Merlin was up to.

"No, definitely not, it's too dangerous" Arthur instantly responded upon the completion of Merlin's plan.

"Unfortunately, I doubt even you could stop Merlin from doing this, Arthur. He's very determined to get this done" Lancelot replied. "Merlin says that the source is someone he knows that he can trust, someone who was friends with him and William back in Ealdor".

"Friends with Will? As in the sorcerer that Merlin grew up with?" Arthur asked.

Lancelot nodded in response.

Arthur took a moment to think about what Lancelot had said, about what Merlin was proposing to do.

"Is he sure that this…sorcerer can be trusted?" Arthur finally asked.

"He is. He asks that you trust him with this, Sire. He knows what he's doing. There is no danger at present of him being discovered, there are others within the sorcerer's camp that do not like Morgana's ideas, and they have promised to protect Merlin from being found".

Another moment of silence as Arthur thought about the plan.

"If Merlin trust this man…despite him being a sorcerer…than I trust him too" Arthur finished.

"My lord?" Elyan said, in surprise. He knew that Arthur didn't trust any magic user, so why was this one different?

"I trust Merlin with my life and if Merlin trusts this man not to betray us, then I trust him as well" Arthur replied.

Gwen smiled proudly at the man she loved. She could see how much Merlin's presence in Camelot had changed him – changed everyone. Arthur was more responsible now, he thought more about his actions and who they might hurt. Before Merlin arrived, if someone had told her that Prince Arthur trusted in life in the hands of a servant, she would have laughed in their face. But here he was, trusting a man who was a servant, but more like a brother to him now. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **You just keep reviewing! You're brilliant! Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it :D

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **Hope Lancelot's reaction was okay :) Sorry about the cliffhanger - didn't really think adding this chapter on the end would have been a good idea - would've been huge! Thanks for the review!

**Heart of Diamond - **Thanks! Me neither, but I had to put it in for a while there. I wouldn't worry, secrets never remain secret for long in Merlin's world - even his greatest secret has to be revealed sometime! :D thanks for reviewing!

**Ruby890 - ** thanks! and thanks for reviewing! :D

**noreallyidontcare - **lol, i know he's such a silly-billy! hehe! :D

**Global Conquest-er **- thanks! don't worry, I generally update at least once a week, but the xmas holidays are up soon because we've got no exams this year, so hopefully they'll be coming in more often :) thanks for reviewing!

**ruby890 - **lol, just realized you reviewed twice! :D thanks for the double review! :D

**ruby890 - **and now, just writing this, I have discovered you've reviewed three times! XD Thanks so much!

**risenmitten - **hello! hehe :) great to hear you enjoyed it! I don't mind - as long as you enjoyed it! :D Thanks! That's really great to hear. hehe, yeah, just a little bit of a pickle :D gotta love the building tension! XD Thanks for reviewing! :)

**Omg! Thanks for the huge response to the last chapter - huge smile on my face when I saw all the reviews, etc! It's great to know that people are actually liking - and in some cases, loving - what I'm writing! :D**

**Thanks again everyone - cookie dough and ice cream to all you fabulous people [or whatever you prefer - I'm well aware some people dont like chocolate ;) ]**

**Thanks again!  
><strong>

**Xx **


	12. The Terra Druids

**Thanks for the response to the last chapter! I couldn't stop smiling at the response :D**

**Just have to mention something: typing the words 'Knights of the Round Table' on word document is brilliant because when I spell check they come up saying that 'knights', 'round', and 'table' have to have a capital at the beginning – I just love that the spellcheck knows about the famous gang of knights :D he he!**

**Once again, Merlin is not owned by me - it is a television show owned by the BBC, no duh! Any mistakes are mine though, that I'll admit :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Arthur paced across the room that the round table council were gathered inside. He may be accepting of Merlin's trust in some sorcerer that he had never met – he knew by now that Merlin was right about things like this, and if he trusted the man, then he knew that he could trust him too – but he didn't like the fact that Merlin was still out there.<p>

'_Merlin is an idiot for doing this…he's going to get caught'_ was all that Arthur could think of.

Okay, so he knew that Merlin wasn't really an idiot, but he still believed that the latter part of his thinking was still probably true. He had learned over the years that Merlin wasn't really as idiotic as he had believed that first day that they had met. Looking back at that day he knew that, although Merlin still acted stupidly for standing up to a Prince, he was rather brave that day, and had shown that he was just that on plenty of other occasions since then. Merlin had very often surprised Arthur with how brave he could suddenly be, in stead of the usual boy he saw hiding behind a tree.

Arthur continued pacing, until a voice pulled him out of his thinking.

"Arthur?" Gwen said, interrupting Arthur's thoughts. "Arthur, pacing back and forwards isn't going to help anything, and neither is worrying about Merlin" she added, despite how worried she was feeling about the young warlock's situation herself, and wasn't able to hide it very well.

"What else do we know about him – this sorcerer that Merlin was talking about?" Arthur finally asked, looking around and back at Lancelot, who was now sitting at one of the tables that was in the room.

"Well, first he isn't a sorcerer" Lancelot started. At everyone's confused looks, Lancelot continued. "He isn't a sorcerer, he is a warlock".

"A warlock?" Percival asked, in shock – obviously knowing the difference.

"I'm sorry, a 'warlock'? I wasn't aware that there was a difference?" Arthur asked, looking between Percival and Lancelot.

"A sorcerer has to practise their magic, train to grow in their power" Gaius explained. "A warlock is one who is born with their abilities; they technically never have a need to train their abilities, because they are already as powerful, if not more, than a typical sorcerer. With extra training, a warlock can become even more powerful than any sorcerer or sorceress. But warlocks are extremely rare".

"Rare?" Elyan asked. "Does that mean that there are others out there that are stronger than those that we've already faced?" he added, thinking about how everyone they'd already faced were already very powerful.

"Yes, and very rare. To use magic, you have to train your magic to be connected with the four elements and the forces of nature. But warlocks are born already connected to them – which is why they are able to use magic without needing words or hand gestures".

"What? I've never heard of such a thing" Arthur exclaimed. "All the magic users we've ever come into contact with have always had to use words or gestures".

"This proves my point about how rare they are. You've never actually come into contact with one" Gaius explained, '_Not that you're aware of, anyway'_ he added, thinking to himself about Merlin.

"So this man, he's more powerful than the people that are gathering to fight us, and yet he has decided to help us?" Gwaine asked, doubt showing clearly on his face.

"Indeed he has".

"Why?" Leon asked. "Why would he do that? He uses magic – shouldn't his loyalties actually be with people like him".

"He doesn't believe that the way Morgana is going about trying to return magic is the best way. Of course, this warlock doesn't like that Camelot still has magic banned upon pain of death, but he believes that killing people and taking over Camelot shouldn't be the way to return magic to the kingdom".

"Then what is it that he thinks? All magic users we have ever come into contact with only use magic to achieve their own goals, to hurt others, why should this person be any different?" Arthur asked. He may trust that this man is on their side because of Merlin, but that still didn't explain what it was that this sorcerer – no, warlock – wanted out of all of this. By his experience, their kind always wanted something and never got into anything unless they got something that they wanted out of it.

"He hasn't. He has only ever used magic to protect the people that he cares about. Not all magic beings are like Morgana, Arthur" Lancelot continued.

Before Arthur could say anything, Percival interrupted. "Lancelot's right, Arthur. Before I came to Camelot, I saw magic used for good, for healing, not just hurting and killing. There were healers, using their magic to save the lives of those that would otherwise have been lost".

Arthur thought about the knights words. He personally had never seen such a thing, but he trusted the Knights of the Round Table more than he trusted the knights that had achieved their knighthood through their noble right. He knew that Percival wouldn't lie about such a thing so, despite how strange it sounded, he believed him.

"This man, what's his name? If we're going to trust him, I want to at least know that" Arthur said.

Lancelot felt himself freeze for a second, stopping himself from saying 'Merlin'. Thankfully no one noticed, as he quickly answered, "Emrys".

"Emrys?" Arthur asked, recognition appearing on the young prince's face.

"You know the name?" Lancelot asked, a little surprised. If Arthur knew the name, was that a bad thing or a good thing for Merlin? If Arthur knew the name for a reason that made him hate magic, this alias would not work for Merlin - Arthur would never trust Emrys.

"I remember it from something that father mentioned – years ago. I can't remember why. Gaius, you don't know why I recognize it, do you?"

"Well, there have been many druid prophecies about the name, Sire".

"Prophecies? What kind of prophecies?" Arthur asked.

All the eyes in the room turned back to Gaius, waiting for him to answer Arthur's question - the question that was on everyone of their minds. Gaius sighed, and decided that if he were going to explain the prophecies he would need to be sitting down - the number of questions that the knights would have after would take a long time to get through, and he needed to make sure that nothing he was about to say would make suspicion fall on Merlin.

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><p>Merlin sat on the log, fiddling with the dragon that his father has once sculptured for him. Anya and Lael had sent envoys to three other camps, sending a message that they wanted to meet with their leaders – or at least representatives of each of the three camps to discuss the coming war. The three camps were: The Terra Druids, who were more focused on their powers concerning the earth; Ventus, the druid group that possessed more power with the wind element; and finally Virtus – the druid group that concentrated on increasing their strength in any aspect of magic, it's members not specified under one element, but of people that could control different elements - a mixture. While the first two groups were more powerful in one element, the last was powerful in all four, but not as powerful with Earth as those from Terra, and not as powerful with wind as those from Ventus.<p>

Those who belonged to Virtus were those that Merlin was mostly afraid of joining Morgana. The other two were foretold by Anya and Lael to be rather peaceful, and that the only reason they were getting involved in the fight was because they were tired of losing the lives of those that they loved because of something that they were talented in – something that others couldn't understand. But those in Virtus were known to be more aggressive. They still believed that fighting was something to be avoided, but they had increased their power so that they could use it in battle and not be afraid of losing. It was this group that Morgana really needed to get the allegiance of if she wanted to win the battle against Camelot.

Merlin was so busy in his thinking, that he didn't notice that Anya had sat down beside him on the log.

"Emrys?" she began, calling him by his druid name to try and keep his identity a secret.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" he asked, turning to face her, realizing that she had been talking to him the entire time that he was deep in his own thoughts.

"I was telling you not to worry. I know both of the leaders from Terra and Ventus, and they both will be completely open-minded when it comes to your ideas of the future-".

"It's not Ventus or Terra that I'm worried about, Anya. From what you've told me, pretty much every sorcerer that has ever tried to take over Camelot, or aided those that have tried to, have previously been a member of Virtus, and that they turned against their druid beliefs of peace in order to do so. After hearing that, I'm a little sceptic about whether or not I'll be able to convince them to do the right thing" Merlin replied, raising a hand to check that his hood was still in place.

"I'd assume that it would be completely normal for you to feel a little nervous about what you're about to do – you'd be mad if you weren't" Anya added. "I used to know someone in the Virtus group; they may be able to help. Her name is Kali; she's the leader's daughter. Kali and I used to be good friends before the Amala moved northwards; perhaps she could help convince her father that siding with Morgana isn't the right thing – if he seems a little uncertain about what to do".

"You think she'd help? What if she were as uncertain as her father? Or even more so?" Merlin asked.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. We cannot guess at how they will react, so there is no point in worrying over something until we know what they will do" Anya said, trying to cheer Merlin up a little.

He nodded in reply, his worry calmed a little, but still present.

"Emrys…"Anya started, whispering to Merlin.

Merlin looked up from his dragon, and looked in the direction that the young leader was looking in. Entering the camp was an elderly, short man, walking with a staff at his side. His dark hair had been pulled back into a short ponytail, and he was wearing normal clothes – a difference to the robes that Merlin was getting used to seeing.

Merlin stood as the man approached. The blank look on the man's face was not helping Merlin to determine whether or not the man was happy about the meeting, or whether he even cared about what they had to say.

"I can definitely say that I am very happy to see you well, my child" the man said, speaking to Anya, a smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you, Alwyn. I must say the same" Anya replied, returning the smile. "May I introduce-".

"Emrys" Alwyn interrupted, taking Merlin's hand and shaking it like he was greeting an old friend.

"Um…"Merlin started, unsure of what to say to the man. This man knew who he was, yet he hadn't even been told his name. The couriers had been told not to mention the fact that Emrys was the one who wanted to meet him – so that Morgana would not hear word of Emrys' appearance.

"Yes, I know who you are" Alwyn said, as if reading Merlin's thoughts. "I recognized your magical aura when I entered the camp. I must say it is such an honour to finally meet you".

"Um, thank you…" Merlin finally said.

Alwyn chuckled slightly at Merlin's reply. "Sorry if I surprise you, I take it you're not used to people recognizing you?"

"No, not really" Merlin replied, laughing slightly.

"Let me introduce myself properly, I'm afraid I didn't really allow dear Anya to do so: I am Alwyn, leader of the Terra Druids".

"Oh, then it is an honour to meet you too, Sir –"Merlin started to reply.

"Please, call me Alwyn, my Lord".

"Only if you agree to call me M-Emrys" Merlin replied, almost giving his real name – he was still not used to having to get everyone call him by his druid name.

If Alwyn noticed the slip up, he never said anything, but his smile did grow wider. Merlin was already starting to like the man before him.

"Then I believe that we have a lot to talk about, Emrys" Alwyn continued, still smiling.

"Certainly, we do. Would you prefer to wait until the others have arrived or…?" Anya asked.

"No, no. I am already aware of why we are here, and I believe that I would be very interested in what you both have to say. This whole fighting and taking over Camelot business is going a little too far in trying to return magic, I must say" Alwyn explained. "How on earth is proving King Uther's point about magic being evil going to help anyone?"

Merlin smiled even more at hearing those words. He immediately knew that this man would not side with Morgana in this matter, giving the young warlock more confidence about facing the next druid leader that was headed for their camp. He only hoped that the other two would be as open-minded and as wise as Alwyn.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **Wow, thanks! Hope this update was just as good as the last :D

**sarajm - **thanks! I had to have Arthur trust Merlin, I love the whole friendship between those two on the show, they act like they're brothers, yet seem like they never really want to admit it - so cute sometimes :D thanks for the review :)

**ruby890 - **thank you :) yup, but Merlin and trouble kinda go hand in hand XD but that's part of why we love him :D thanks again!

**SohotforEdward - **hehe, it's so nice to hear that people think that :D hehe, I can't wait to see where they go with Season 4! I really wanna see who else finds out about Merlin's powers - if anyone does that is :) thanks for the review! :D

**Heart of Diamond - **thanks! and thanks for reviewing :D

**Galaya - **thank you! Hmm, we'll just have to wait and see :D lol thanks for reviewing!

**Global Conquest-er - **hehe, well that's the plan anyway :) thanks! :D lol there's so many ideas rolling around inside my head - and they're all so angtsy! hehe! great to hear that you love it! thanks for reviewing! :D

**risenmitten - **I love that everyone loves how I put Arthur trusting Merlin! I hope I don't disappoint you then - when i write about the encounter between Merlin and Morgana :D thanks for reviewing!

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **I haven't watched Saturdays episode yet (but I'll probably have done by the time that this chapter is posted). I recorded it cause I have an assessment to finish off for uni! Ur telling me it makes you wanna cry? I'm gonna need tissues! :'( thanks for the warning though he he! thanks for the review!

**Thanks to everyone, and I love that you all liked how I put Arthur as trusting Merlin when it came to trusting the 'sorcerer' hehe :D thanks guys! (and girls, of course!)**

**_LittleMissUnPerfect - W_****atched the episode and immediately knew that I had to add this. OMG! I did need tissues, omg I can't believe that happened! I love how the BBC are taking the whole Merlin legends and making them into their own story in stead of doing a complete copy of the movies or something, but still OMG! I now know what you meant about managing to stop crying, it was so sad. I felt so sorry for Merlin at the end because that's twice now he's had to do that! :'(**

**Xx**


	13. Ventus and Virtus

**Woo hoo! Another chapter down, hope this is still as good as it used to be. I started rereading this from the beginning because I wanted to double check stuff lol. **

**If people honestly think that I am claiming to own 'Merlin'...wow. You're just strange.**

**Anyway, all mistakes are mine, so if there are any, please point them out so I can change them :D Ta!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret**

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><p>Since Merlin's success at convincing the leader of the Terra, Alwyn, to not fight in the war, Merlin hadn't stopped smiling. Although 'convince' was a bit of a strong word, seeing as the man already somehow knew what it was that he wanted to discuss with him, and had already made his decision before entering the camp. When the man had realized that the man wearing the cloak – Merlin – was Emrys, he seemed even more determined to help stop the fight, and told Emrys that he would do anything to help him stop the fight from ever happening.<p>

That made three druid clan leaders on Merlin's side of the battle, and now there were only two left: Ventus and Virtus. He was still worried about the leader of the Virtus group, knowing that their more aggressive actions were more likely to convince them to side with Morgana rather than with Merlin, but he knew that he had to try. He couldn't just give up without at least giving those druids the option of choosing a side, hoping that they might just pick the right one.

Since Alwyn had decided to side with Merlin, although he knew him as 'Emrys', the druids that belonged to both the Amala camp and the Terra Druids had joined those of Endellion. Since the leaders of Amala and Terra were already in the Endellion camp, their camps had decided to move closer to the Endellion camp. Merlin couldn't believe how many sorcerer's, sorceresses, witches, and other magical beings had gathered there. He had never seen so many gathered in the one place before – which did actually scare him a little. All of these people were now looking to him for guidance, hoping that he would lead them into a time of peace with those in Camelot, a time where magic could be used and appreciated in public, without the threat of death.

Merlin now sat at the edge of the camp. Before the joining of the three camps, Merlin could see from one side of the site straight across to the other, but now he could barely see across half of it. It circled around the corner of the trees, making people from the camp have to build more fires in order to keep its members warm. Merlin sat with his elbows leaning on his knees, hands clasped together in front of him. He sat watching people moving about the camp, helping each other set up their tents, or helping the younger members to practise their magic. The laughter from the children as their magic caused the flowers to grow bigger made Merlin wonder how anyone could ever possibly think that magic could only ever harm people.

Merlin jumped slightly when someone came up behind him and placed their hand on his shoulder. He turned to face him as he sat down beside the young warlock. He was older than Merlin, but not as old as Alwyn. He had dark blonde hair, and a rather pale complexion. He wore a top that could easily have been taken for druid robes, but he wore brown trousers underneath them.

"Sitting alone? Only a man filled with busy thoughts would do that" the man started.

"More like worried thoughts…" Merlin mumbled, before he could stop himself.

"Worried? I can understand that, what with everything that's happening" the man replied.

Merlin looked at him, realizing that he hadn't seen him before, meaning that he must have come from the Terra druid camp.

"Sorry, haven't introduced myself. The name's James" he said, holding out his hand.

Merlin took his hand, "Emrys".

"I knew it!" James exclaimed, a huge smile appearing on his face. "I must say I have been waiting years to meet you, and it is great to finally know that you are here" his smile never wavering.

"Thank you…still getting used to that" Merlin chuckled nervously.

"Not used to it? The people you come from, they do not know about who you are?" James asked, a mix between shock and curiosity.

"No…no they do not, and I'm afraid it must stay that way for the time being" Merlin replied, sadness in his voice.

"Due to Uther's rule?" James asked, knowing that that was the answer. Merlin nodded, his hood moving with the action allowing James to know he was doing so. "Quite understandable. How would you be able to protect our once and future King, if your magic were to be discovered?"

Merlin turned to look at the man, in surprise. "What is it?" James asked at feeling Merlin's eyes upon him.

"Nothing, I'm just still surprised that people believe that. Before meeting anyone from these camps, pretty much every magical being I came in contact with didn't understand why I hid my identity, when I could as easily get away with anything, considering my powers".

"People that believe that are being stupid. If you revealed your identity, Uther would have his men after you, and your enemies would know of your existence, making it only harder to protect the future that we all want" James commented.

"Too true, but I'm afraid after this my enemies will definitely know of my existence".

"Morgana?"

"And Morgause" Merlin confirmed. "I have already had to stop them from destroying the future we all desire, and it was hard enough with them not knowing about me" Merlin chuckled humourlessly.

"I'll bet. Having met Morgana, I know that she is not one to give up on the things that she desires".

"You've met Morgana?"

"Indeed, she came to my camp about two weeks ago to discuss joining her in the 'war against those who would oppose us'" James replied, chuckling as he quoted Morgana's words. "And I would not worry about Morgana's sister. I hear tell that she is too weak to do anything, even walking around is a struggle for the witch".

"How?" Merlin asked, thinking about their fight from the year before.

"Morgana has told us that they were trying to stop an attack on magic, trying to stop Uther from taking the Cup of Life".

"Well, I suppose part of that us true…"

James looked back at 'Emrys', not surprised that Morgana hadn't been telling the truth. "Which part?"

"The bit about stopping Uther getting his hands on the Cup of Life" Merlin replied. "Except Morgause got it before it could be taken to Camelot, and then she used it to create an immortal army, which attacked and took over the castle".

"And you somehow stopped the immortal army, and yet still managed to hide your identity?" James asked, shocked.

Merlin chuckled at the realization. "Yeah, somehow".

James and Emrys laughed, as they saw people gathering near the closest camp fire. Anya, Alwyn and Lael were standing furthest away from the fire, and were the first to see Merlin and James as they looked around.

"Ah, James there you are!" Lael exclaimed, walking towards the two men, the two behind him following him.

James and Merlin stood as the three leaders approached them.

"Sorry, I walked around the outside of camp to make sure that we were not followed before I decided to make myself known" James replied, shaking hands with the man. "Anya, Alwyn it is good to see you both again".

"Same here, it has been too long" Anya replied. "I see you have met Emrys".

"Indeed" he replied, turning to Emrys with a smile on his face. "I should tell you that the rest of my people shall be arriving within the hour".

"Your people?" Merlin asked, turning to James full of curiosity.

"Sorry, my Lord, I forgot to mention, rather impolite of me. I am the leader of the Virtus druid clan" James replied.

Merlin was speechless. He had been unknowingly speaking to the one person he was worried about convincing to join him. He hoped he hadn't given the man a reason to side with Morgana.

'_Oh no, we were talking about Morgana. What if he joins her? He knows that I would never side with her! He knows that my identity is a secret to my friends, what if he tells that to her?' _were the thoughts that were running through Merlin's mind.

Merlin silence made the four people before him turn to him, waiting for some sort of acknowledgment about the fact that he had at least heard him. There was nothing that Merlin could say apart from stutter out, "Please, call me Emrys".

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><p>"Emrys is said to be the most powerful warlock ever to exist. More powerful than most sorcerers and other warlocks combined" Gaius started to explain. "He has been foretold to be the one who would lead the Once and Future King through his life to become the greatest King Albion had ever seen, uniting the lands of Albion as they once were".<p>

"Wow…" Gwaine was the first one to break the silence.

"'Once and Future King'?" Leon asked, looking at Gaius, but his eyes flitting to Arthur every now and then.

"The man who will become High King over all of the five kingdoms" Gaius explained. "It is said that he will rule over the five kingdoms until his heir takes to the throne, bringing peace to all of the land".

"And this man…?" Elyan asked.

"It is believed by the druids that this man will be you, Arthur" Gaius answered, turning to look at the young prince that was standing before them.

"Arthur? You've got to be kidding!" Gwaine said, laughing slightly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gwaine" Arthur said sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Princess" Gwaine replied, with a big smile on his face.

Arthur scowled at the irritating nickname that the comical knight had come up with. "If I am this…future High King, then this 'Emrys'…you said he'd lead me to be this king" Arthur said, turning back to face the physician.

"Indeed. It is my belief that he has been protecting you for some time now" Gaius replied, trying to be careful with his words, but at the same time give Arthur every reason to trust Emrys.

"Protecting me? Why would he have been protecting me? He is a sorcerer-".

"-Warlock".

"Whatever!" Arthur replied Gwaine, who was still grinning. "He has magic, why would he protect me?"

"Because it is their belief that the Once and Future King will not only bring peace to the five kingdoms, but also between Camelot and those belonging to the old Religion".

"Peace between Camelot…and magic?"

Gaius nodded, "For most druids, that is the only thing they have wished for, for a very long time. Only to be able to use magic and not be hunted for it. You have never seen magic used for good causes, Arthur, so I suppose it would be rather hard to believe any of this".

Arthur seemed to think about his words for a moment. He had to disagree with Gaius. Looking back at this past, he had seen magic used for good reasons. Magic was what had helped him escape the cave all those years ago when he was searching for the cure for Merlin. Magic was what was used to protect the people of Ealdor when Kanan was attacking them. Then there was that druid boy, Mordred that he had helped escape the palace. The boy had not had a shred of evilness in him, just like Merlin's friend, William. If it were possible that there people out there that possessed magic, and yet were not inclined to hurt those without, why shouldn't it be possible that this man wanted to protect him? If he truly believed that Arthur was this 'Once and Future King' that they had prophecies about, why wouldn't he want to protect him?

"No, I know that the druids were once a peaceful people. And you're wrong, Gaius, I have seen magic used for good, but never have I looked back and realized it before…" Arthur started, making the tenseness in Lancelot's shoulder relax – although no one apart from Gaius noticed.

"So, you're going to trust this Emrys, then?" Percival asked.

"Yes, I will. I already said I would, because Merlin trusts him".

"I thought Merlin never did anything right?" Gwaine mocked, grin still on his face.

"Only when it counts" Arthur smiled back.

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><p>"Emrys it is then" James replied, smiling evermore, clasping Merlin's shoulder, and leading him to a group of logs that were closest to them.<p>

"Forgive me, if I knew who it was I was talking to…. You shouldn't have to hear me complaining about-".

"No need to apologize, Emrys. It is good to get stuff like that out of your system, bottling it all up only makes it worse when all the emotion is finally released" James replied. "Please let me introduce you all to my daughter, Kali" he said, indicating a light blonde haired woman to come over – and she shared her father's genetics for their rather pale skin.

The woman walked over and took her father's hand as she sat next to him on one of the logs.

"Kali, this is Emrys, Alwyn, Lael, and of course you already know Anya" James introduced, indicating each person as he said their name.

"Of course, Anya, it's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since the last Samhain" Kali started. "And Emrys, I am overjoyed to know that you are here".

Merlin thanked her, knowing that she would not see him returning her smile.

They sat talking for the next hour until the next and final leader was due to arrive. Merlin got to know both James and Kali a little better, and felt that James was not as bad as he had believed he would be. When they talked of Morgana and her plans to start war with Camelot, James expressed desires to prevent such a thing from happening, not seeing any reason to do such a thing.

"Surely attacking Camelot will only confirm Uther further of his belief that magic is something to be feared, something to get rid of in his kingdom" James explained.

Merlin smiled. That was pretty much the same thing that Alwyn had said to him earlier. Hearing the man before him repeating his words gave Merlin more hope than he had had before. If he could convince the most aggressive type of druid to not take part in a fight, then perhaps he was not in as bad a situation as he thought he was. Sure, Morgana was still out there with her mercenaries, but every ally counted, and right now, Merlin had four of the ones that really counted.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**ReadingRaven019 - **thanks! hope you liked this one :D

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **Thanks! :D Hope this wasn't too long of a wait :)

**Galaya - **Thanks for that, I went and changed it :D I hate having little typo's and stuff like that so an extra thanks for telling me :D I reread it once you told me and I went a little confused lol :)

**Bottled Sunshine - **thanks, and thanks for reviewing! :D

**sarajm - **hope this lived up to your expectations :D thanks! I thought it would be cute to see him act like that in the show, and I could imagine him being all embarrassed that I just had to put it in :D thanks for the review! :D

**Heart of Diamond -** he he, I laughed when I read your review! too true, he could've done something, surely! I thought he would have at least seen the bracelet, and then everything would have been back to normal, they didn't even tell Arthur what they DID know! Lol, okay rant over! :D thanks for the review! Hehe! :D

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **Yup yup, only one more to go now - leader that is, hehe! :D thanks for the review!

**Thanks for all the great reviews, and for sticking with me through out! And thanks to those who have recently discovered this little fic, and alerted and/or favourited it :D**

**Xx**


	14. A Pentacle of Druids

**For those who want to know, the title for this chapter is a reference to the fact that there are five druid leaders. In the scene where Merlin is talking to them, they are arranged around him like the five points of the pentacle, with him sitting next to Anya. Towards the end there is actually quite a lot - sort of - of Morgana bashing. Basically listing every reason that she is evil :D but she's awesome at acting all evil and stuff so it's all good - although a part of me does miss that nice young girl she used to be (always making fun of Arthur, and know she's trying to kill him!) **

**Spoilers for end of season 3 - quite serious spoilers tbh, although I think everything mentioned is what is shown in the trailer for the finale episode :S**

**Also thanks to all those who have kept on reading, and have continually reviewed! I absolutely love you people :D thanks! **

**Don't own Merlin…whatever gave you the impression that I did? You wanna sue? Go right ahead, your claim will not hold up in court, I can pretty much guarantee it :P But mistakes are mine, so I'll take ownership of those, he he! And of the whole idea for this storyline...and the OC's involved...apart from that, nothing really belongs to me.**

**Speaking of which, I'm really glad you guys (and girls, of course) like my OC's! I thought that they were going to be total rubbish! :D Thanks for the kind words people, and the awesome reviews! - longest author's note ever for me btw, lol :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Since Merlin had discovered that James was the Leader of the Virtus clan, he had yet to say another word to the man. He was still worried that, after everything he had told him, this James would actually end up being someone who would side with Morgana. If he decided to join her, he could tell her that Emrys' friends did not know who he was, making it more advantageous for her to discover his identity. She would know through James that Emrys had claimed to have been the one to destroy her immortal army – something that could lead her to learning who he was.<p>

Merlin had started wondering the camp that had now been at least tripled in size, helping those who were joining them to put up their tents and set up more camp fires. Someone had begun to notice that he was acting a little quiet.

"Are you okay, Emrys? You seem like you are trying to distract yourself from something" Anya asked, making Merlin jump a little as he turned to face the young druid leader.

"Maybe a little" Merlin replied, his smile obvious in his tone. "It's nothing, just not used to being around this many people with magic, around this many people that I don't have to hide from…". Although that was not what had been previously bothering him, he realized that as he said it that it too was true.

"Must be strange, it's not a situation I would ever like to find myself in – having to hide who I am" Anya agreed. "Can you not tell them? You have known them for years; you have grown close to the Prince over those years, would he not trust you?"

"That's why I think I can't tell him" Merlin started. They had begun to walk away from the centre of camp, walking around the outskirts where it was less populated. "He trusts me, I know that, but if I tell him now, after all those times that I could've…"

"You're afraid that he'll see it as betrayal?"

Merlin nodded. "That, as his friend, I should have told him a long time ago. Perhaps I should have. I've lied for so many years now, that it comes as second nature to me now".

"I'm sure that when the time is right, you will tell him, and if he is the friend that you believe him to be, then I know that he will accept you" Anya replied, stopping to face Merlin.

Merlin looked at her strangely, not that she noticed. When Anya gave him a curious look, he explained. "You reminded me so much of G- of one of my friends when you said that. He says that to me all the time".

"Gaius?" Anya asked, noticing Merlin's slip-up. At Merlin's slight jump, she explained. "You mentioned his name after you were brought to the tent. Something about putting sleeping draught in your water, in order to get you to rest and do as 'medical advice' suggests. Don't worry; I haven't told that name to anyone, I knew that it could lead to your discovery".

"I know you wouldn't" Merlin replied instantly, walking onwards, smiling at the young leader's words.

Anya noticed how fast he had responded, and turned back to face him once more. "You trust too easily, my friend".

"No, just usually a good judge of character" he smiled. "I don't trust blindly, don't worry…" he continued, thinking of James. Anya seemed to be able to read his mind in that moment, and asked whether or not it was the Virtus leader that was bothering him.

"A little. I wasn't aware of who he was until after I had spoken to him. I could have said anything to that man. Had I been aware I would've been more careful, and I was worried about my first impressions to each of the leaders, and now I won't get another shot with him" Merlin explained. "All I did was complain, he must have thought me annoying…"

Anya laughed. "He's the leader of one of the biggest druid groups that there is, it probably wasn't the first time that someone has complained about something to him. Besides, druid leader are meant to listen to complaints and are meant to help in any way possible. You are Emrys; he probably saw it as an honour to have you confide in him" she smiled.

Merlin thought about that for a moment and then laughed too. He had never thought about it in that way before. As their laugher calmed down, they saw Kali walking towards them.

"Anya, Emrys, I was asked if you could return to meet Thana" she started. "She's just arrived, and her people have already gotten here to join us".

'_Wow, that was fast' _Merlin thought.

Merlin and Anya walked with Kali back to the main camp fire. Upon arrival, Merlin saw a tall woman, of around mid-thirties, and with long wavy brunette hair standing talking to Alwyn. She wore a long dress of a rich brown colour, and had sleeves that finished at the elbow, with long strips of fabric floating delicately downwards. Due to her fancier clothing, compared to others unrecognizable people around her, Merlin assumed – correctly – that this woman was Thana – the leader of the Ventus Druids.

Thana had a smile on her face as she spoke to those around her – one that appeared to be quite contagious. Hearing her talk excitedly at seeing everyone that she had missed so much in the past years even brought a smile to Merlin's face. It was good that so many were being reunited with past friends and family, despite how bad the situation for it seemed to be. Thana was introduced to Emrys as soon as he had arrived, and was welcomed into camp by Anya with open arms. Anya hadn't seen Thana since before she had taken over as leader for the Amala, as Thana had left to join the Ventus Druids a few years before that – nearly ten years.

"My Lord Emrys, I must say that it great to finally meet you. It is good to know that not all hope is lost when it comes to the future of Albion" she said in greeting, smiling as she shook Merlin's hand.

"Thank you, and please just call me Emrys. 'Lord' is much too fancy for me" he chuckled in return, seeing Thana's smile widen.

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><p>"Any news from the Patrol from the North yet?" Arthur asked, as he leaned over the various maps that were laid out on the table.<p>

Leon walked forwards to stand at his side, Gwaine and Percival deciding to stay standing back at the pillars.

"No news on Morgana, my Lord. But they say that there has been a lot of recent activity near the Northern borders. Many travellers have crossed into Camelot within the last month, but there was nothing suspicious or anything to make the patrol think that they were connected" he reported.

Arthur took a moment to think. "Chances are that that's the sorcerers that Morgana's been trying to recruit to her cause" he concluded.

He took more time to think. He knew that Merlin might be able – with this 'Emrys' person – to stop some sorcerers from taking part in the fight, but he didn't know if he could take the risk that all would. It was too great a risk. If they decided to attack Camelot, and they were not prepared….

Arthur wanted to have complete faith in Merlin, but there was no way that all of those sorcerers would turn around before the battle, and especially not – although he hated saying it – the words of a servant. Granted, he was the Crown Regent's servant, but if anything that would only make the sorcerers less inclines to believe him. He needed to at least get the people ready for the possibility of a magical attack on the city. So he gave the order.

"Gather the people from the city, and give them refuge in the castle. Have some men help those who might need it with getting into the castle, make sure they only bring what is necessary. I want Guards on every entrance to the city at all times, keeping watch for any movement. All entrances to the city will be closed, apart from the main gate. The main gate will only be closed if we are under attack" he finally ordered.

The people about him were suddenly moving about, carrying out their orders, or leaving the room in order to carry them out. Arthur looked back to Leon and the other two, indicating that they should follow him out. They walked out, and around the corner. When they reached a secluded part of the corridor, Arthur turned to face his knights.

"We need the information from Merlin. I can't organise a proper defence if I don't know what I'm going to be up against" he explained. "He told Lancelot that he would be able to get some information to us before the fight".

"Perhaps he's finding it hard to get away, it would look a little suspicious" Leon offered.

"Maybe…" Arthur replied. "I was thinking about sending you three out there to check up on him…".

"Would that be wise?" Percival asked. "What if he were to get caught talking to one of us?".

"They let Lancelot go, didn't they?" Gwaine added. "He said that the people Merlin is staying with would hide him. That there are those who do not agree with Morgana".

"So you think that they might try to help us?" Arthur asked.

"If not, we can always fight our way out, and pretend that Merlin had nothing to do with us. We were just trying to spy on their camp" Percival interjected.

Arthur squinted his eyes at the thought of how weak the plan was. But he really needed that information. If they were going to go up against sorcerers, then he would need to know what type of weapons they would be using, and what they could use to defend themselves with against their magic – if there was something that would enable them to do such a thing.

"Okay…" he finally agreed. "Leon, I'm going to need you here to help organise things here, and start preparing the soldiers. Gwaine, Percival, take Lancelot with you. You'll find it easier to find your way to their camp if you take him, considering he's been there already" Arthur asked.

As Leon was Arthur's second in command, Leon had already expected this, and was going to advise it if Arthur had not ordered it.

Percival and Gwaine nodded to Arthur and turned to walk back along the corridor in search of the noblest knight.

"Lancelot!" Gwaine called out, finding Lancelot walking down the corridor near his rooms – actually heading towards the physicians quarters in order to talk to Gaius about Merlin. He stopped and turned around upon hearing his friend.

"Gwaine, Percival, what can I do for you two?" Lancelot asked.

"Arthur's asked us to travel to the camp Merlin's staying at. He needs information about what we might have to face when fighting them, so we need to go and ask him" Gwaine said, a smile on his face at the idea of seeing his closest friend again.

"Oh…"Lancelot replied, his face losing a little bit of its colour, unsure what else to say.

"Anything wrong?" Percival asked.

"No, it's just…wouldn't it be better if only one of us went? That way there's less chance of us getting caught?"

"Well, yeah, but if that one person were to get caught they would have less chance of getting away, now wouldn't they?" Gwaine asked.

"Since when are you the voice of reason?" Lancelot asked, smiling slightly.

"Oi! I resent that!" Gwaine commented, laughing all the same. "Why am I the one always to be picked on?"

"Because Merlin's never around" Percival laughed.

All three laughed as the made their way to the stables, but only one of them was feeling the laughter slightly forced. How was he supposed to help Merlin keep who he was a secret if more people turned up at the magical camp? Lancelot only hoped that there would be a way to communicate with Merlin before the other two accidentally found out.

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><p>Merlin had all five leaders sitting around him, Anya next to him, giving him an encouraging smile as he swallowed, and preparing to listen to whatever the others had to say to him. The 'debate' over whether they should side with Morgana had – from Merlin's point of view – started well before he had even arrived at their camp. People had already formed their own opinions; it was obvious from the look in their eyes. But Merlin could see that most people were unwilling to join Morgana in her quest, and those that did were mainly only out of fear. If he could convince them that there was nothing to fear in going against her, then perhaps he could get them all to come around to the more peaceful tactics.<p>

"I must admit that Morgana's ideas of achieving peace seem rather strange" Thana started, looking around at her fellow leaders. "She is hoping to achieve peace, by starting war".

"She isn't even trying to achieve peace, Thana. By her ways, she would have herself on the throne of Camelot, and have those with magic placed higher in importance than those without" Alwyn added.

"Many of my people believe that she has her heart in the right place, by wanting to free magic, but her ways of doing so are too harsh, too violent" Lael interjected.

"But what other ways are there to achieve freedom for those with magic? King Uther will never allow magic to roam free within his kingdom, he has it hunted down, and will continue to do so" someone shouted, one of the druids that were listening in.

"But King Uther will not be King forever, Prince Arthur-".

"Prince Arthur has shown his father's hatred within himself of late, why would he change things?" another voice called out.

"Prince Arthur is the one proclaimed to bring peace between magical and non-magical people-".

"What if he isn't-?"

"What if the prophecies are wrong-?"

"Arthur Pendragon is the Once and Future King, I can assure you all of that" Merlin called out, over the voices that were beginning to rise higher. He had stood up as he spoke, addressing everyone that was listening – which was everyone that could get close enough to understand what they were saying. At Emrys' words, silence fell, and everyone's attention was drawn to him, waiting for him to carry on with what he was saying. Merlin quietly sighed, thinking that there was nothing else to do apart from continue.

"I know that Arthur will one day be the King that we all hope for, because I have seen how he cares for others, and for his people. I have seen him do things that have let me know about the great King that he will one day be, and the great things that he will do. Arthur's hatred of magic is nothing compared to that of his father's. Before Morgana left Camelot, Arthur Pendragon frequently challenged his father when it came to the King's policies and hatred of magic. He has always tried to do the right thing when it comes to protecting his people, even when doing this right thing has conflicted with his loyalty to his father. Until last year, I could see that he was easily prepared to accept that not all sorcerers are as evil as all those that he has faced over the years: Nimueh; Alvarr; Sigan; Morgause. Considering that these people have given him ample reason to hate magic over the years, I'm surprised he doesn't hate it as his father does".

Merlin stopped to look around and see how his words were affecting those around him. Everyone's attention was still on him, listening intently to what he was saying. They seemed to be really thinking about what he was saying.

"If you want to blame someone for the reasons that, recently, Arthur's attitude has been closer to that of his father's than his own, then I suggest looking at the Lady Morgana herself" he finally added.

Many people looked around, surprised at this. The question on all of their faces: 'Why is Morgana to blame?' It was obvious that, as many had come from outside of Camelot, they had not heard the full story about what had happened the year before. They had been lead to believe that Arthur's attitude towards magic had been affected by his father, not how Morgana had used magic to almost destroy Camelot – almost literally when it came to the castle walls.

"Emrys, my Lord…what is it that the Lady Morgana has done?" a voice finally called out from the silence.

Merlin was silent for a moment. "Morgana sided with Morgause, and decided that she had had enough of Uther and his hatred of magic" he felt the need to pause again - Morgana's betrayal was still fresh in his mind. "While I too believe that her heart was in the right place where it concerns magic…attempting to take over Camelot and create an immortal army in order to do so does not seem like the best and most peaceful way to go about fixing things" he explained, getting a few chuckles and smiles from those around him. He noticed that no one was denying what he was saying, and he knew why.

He was Emrys. These people had faith in him to know what was right and what was wrong. They knew of his power, and what he was capable of, yet he knew that they were not afraid of him, because they respected him, and knew that he could lead them to the future that they all desired.

"She tried to bend people to her rule. The Knights of Camelot refused to give her their allegiance, and in punishment of their actions, she allowed people from Camelot to be executed, shot down in the street" Merlin continued. "Is that the sort of person that you would side with, that you would fight alongside?"

Silence fell at Merlin's words. All eyes were downcast, thinking about Merlin's speech.

As Merlin sat, four of the druid leaders stood and agreed to speak to their followers, and would return with their decision. Anya continued to sit by Merlin's side, along with Liam and Kiran. Once the area was emptied of the other four druid clans, Anya turned to Merlin.

"That was better than we could ever have hoped for" she started, a huge smile appearing on her face. "Your words really got through to them, you could see it on their faces, even James' people. I never knew you could come up with such speeches".

"Neither did I" Merlin replied, a little shaken.

"Well, I must return with Lael" Liam started, who noticed that said man was waiting for him at the edge of the clearing. "I will see you soon, Emrys" he finished with a smile on his face also.

"Come, Emrys" Kiran began. "We should return to our end of camp too. I think we already know our decision, but we can at least rest and pretend like we're seriously discussing it" he laughed, causing the other two to laugh with him.

As they walked back, Merlin heard people moving around in the trees that were on the left of their clearing. Anya and Kiran had heard it too, standing a little taller than they previously had. When more noise was made, indicating that someone was coming into the clearing, they stood still, waiting for them to appear. Merlin froze when he saw the source of the noise walk towards him, and stop in front of him.

"Inspiring speech, Merlin. However did you manage it?"

That was when Merlin realized that the hood might hide his face, but it did nothing to disguise his voice.

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><p><strong>Omg! Been writing non-stop for future chapters and my hand is killing me! lol, but it's nearly done, and that's the main thing! - I've got parts of future chapters done, and little sketches of stuff to include, it's just deciding which order to put it all into :D<strong>

**Reviews:**

**EvilCabbagezPwn -** thanks! glad you liked him :D thanks for reviewing!

**Galaya - **thanks for the review! :D happy to know that he doesn't completely suck! hehe :)

**noireallydontcare - **thanks :D I tried to put a little difference in it, otherwise meeting them all the same way would've been really boring. your welcome! hehe :D

**MerlinsBeardItsTheDoctor - **yippee! hehe, thanks :D

**HplcMlVr - **thanks a bunch! It's good to know that people really like this :D thanks for the review!

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **thanks for the review! We're all praying for Merlin :D hehe :)

**Thanks again to everyone! You're all absolutely fabulous human beings! lol sorry if I could a little weird - writing the reviews and author's note after drinking a lot of fizzy juice and eating tons of sweets is definitely not a good idea! But 'Oh well!' what can you do? XD**

**Xx**


	15. Enchanted

**Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Feliz Navidad! XD**

**Uploading this now, finally finished uni for the xmas holidays, but I'm going away on Monday, so I'll try and get another chapter posted before I go. If not I'll try and find somewhere with internet so that I can post it during the week, if I don't manage it I'll post it the minute I get back home - promise!**

**Wow, reaction to last chapter was amazing! A lot of you were guessing who it was that came wondering out of the woods, and a lot of you guessed correctly, but I doubt that you guessed what was about to happen… mwah ha ha! He he, had to be done – you'll understand when you start reading :D I hope it's enjoyable! **

**Just seen the new Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it was absolutely amazing! I think it may have just been better than the first movie, and I seriously hope that they are planning on doing another one! I think it has inspired me to write a fic for it, so I'll get to work on it as soon as I can :D**

**Saturday's episode of Merlin was hilarious! – obviously because of how Arthur was acting! XD I yelled at the tv when the episode finished, especially due to the preview for the finale – omg! Hope you guys are still enjoying this :D**

**Don't own, don't sue, blah blah blah :D Mistakes are mine, but you can't sue for those, so :P - I'll be honest and say that I think that there's definitely somewhere where the word should be 'they' but it's actually 'the' :S lol. I looked through it but I couldn't find it so it's probably still in there somewhere :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p><em><strong>Previously…<strong>_

_Merlin froze when he saw the source of the noise walk towards him, and stop in front of him._

_"Inspiring speech, Merlin. However did you manage it?"_

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><p><em><strong>Present…<strong>_

Standing before Merlin was three people he never saw coming, holding their swords at their sides, keeping their eyes on Merlin. Gwaine, who was standing slightly in front of the other two, was the one to have spoken, and was looking at Merlin with anger in his eyes. When Merlin looked at the other two, he realized that they too shared the same look in their eyes.

"Gwaine? Percival? Lancelot, what are you doing back here?" Merlin started.

They acted as if they had never heard him, and instead held their swords tighter. Gwaine swung his sword as he walked forwards slightly towards Merlin.

"Emrys, do you know these people?" Kiran asked, looking between the man that was moving closer and the man beside him.

"Yes, they are my friends back in Camelot" Merlin started. "Guys, what are you doing here?" he couldn't help but ask. His identity being revealed was the least of his worries at that moment. The way Gwaine was moving towards him with his sword swinging around threateningly was beginning to worry him more.

"So…you are Emrys…that makes this easier" Gwaine said.

With his final words, he swung his sword at Merlin, forcing him to jump back away from the sharp blade. Anya and Kiran jumped to the side as both Lancelot and Percival attempted to do the same as their fellow knight.

"Gwaine- Wait, what are you doing-?" Merlin shouted, trying to avoid another swing from Gwaine's blade, but caught his arm on the tip of the blade. It dragged across his upper arm, and started to scar his chest, when he had finally fallen backwards and out of its reach.

"Emrys!" he could hear Anya shout as he fell down, and landed at Gwaine's feet. Gwaine raised his sword above his head as he prepared to swing down. Lancelot and Percival appeared at either side of him, watching with the same look of anger in their eyes.

Merlin flinched as the sword swung downwards, and automatically shut his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

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><p><em><strong>Earlier…<strong>_

"Come on, Lancelot!" Gwaine laughed, as he and Percival turned their horses towards the third knight that was lagging behind.

"Just give me a minute" he mumbled, still thinking about how he was going to stop the other two knights from finding out about Merlin.

"We haven't got a minute, Lance! We need to find Merlin, and return to Camelot as soon as possible" Percival replied, stopping his horse beside Gwaine's.

"Yeah, I know" Lancelot called, starting to catch up to his fellow knights. None of them knew that they were being watched by sinister eyes.

As Lancelot's horse came parallel with the other two, the yelling of their attackers reached their ears, and they jumped off their horses as they saw the vast numbers of mercenaries jump out from behind the trees, climbing over the hill, running towards the three knights. They leaped off of their horses, drawing their swords.

"Gwaine, behind you!" Percival yelled, as he kicked one to the ground, and started defending himself against another.

Gwaine turned to knock away the sword of said man, and then turned back to the man he was previously fighting.

But there were too many of them.

Eventually, they were easily overpowered. Lancelot's sword was knocked from his grasp as four men attacked him at once. He felt the person behind him kick his legs, and he fell to his knees. Trying to get back up, he felt the sword's edge prick his neck as the blade was pressed against his throat, the other three standing around their prisoner. Realizing what had happened; Gwaine stopped fighting almost immediately, and was forced to the ground beside his friend. Percival followed soon after, kneeling beside his two friends.

The leader of the mercenary group walked forwards as the rest of his men gathered around the three prisoners in a circle.

"You three…are knights of Camelot" the leader started. "You will be brought back alive; we have use for you…"

"Elric, how much use can three knights of Camelot be? We should kill them now" one man said, standing forwards away from the others.

"No, they will be brought to her alive. They arrive in any other form, and I'll have you personally responsible, Alec" Elric replied.

And that, it seemed was the end of that conversation. A moment later, bags were placed over the knights' heads, and they were lifted to their feet, forced to walk to wherever these men were leading them. It seemed that so much time had passed before they finally found themselves being pulled to a stop, and forced to their knees once more.

The bags were lifted off of their heads, their eyes squinting as the sudden sunlight attacked their eyes. Gwaine was the first one to look up at the face that was before them.

"It figures that you would hire mercenaries to do your dirty work, Morgana" he started, a mocking smile on his face as he stared up at the witch.

"You wound me, Sir Gwaine" she smirked back. "Please, entertain me. Why is it that three knights, such as yourself, are all the way out here? Shouldn't you be training to kill innocent people?"

"You're hardly innocent, witch" Percival replied, hatred obvious in his voice.

"Well, you do what you must to survive" she replied, smirk dropping as she glared at the knight before her. "Answer my question, what are you three doing here?"

"Heard you were in the area, thought we'd drop by" Gwaine replied.

Morgana scoffed at the knight, her glare deepening. "Fine, don't tell me…" she started. "It won't matter anyway. Not when I'm finished. But let me guess…you're trying to find Emrys".

The three knights looked up as they heard her say his name.

"How do you know about Emrys?" Lancelot said.

"I have my sources" she smirked in reply. "And my sources tell me that he is currently residing with the Asa clan of druids, although they are now more commonly known as the Amala Druids. Emrys cannot be allowed to betray his own kind. And you are going to help me".

"Please, I thought you were smarter than this. There is no way that we are going to help you do anything" Gwaine mocked, the other two knights nodding in agreement.

"No matter…you aren't going to be helping me of your own free will" she replied, once more smirking at the thought of her own plans. "Mod wæs cræftleas*. Precipio tibi quod facias, et occidas Emrys**" her eyes glowed gold as the spell was cast.

As the spell worked its magic, the eyes of the three knights glowed red, indicating that they were now under her spell.

"Perfect. Three of Camelot's most loyal and trusted knights…" Morgana finished.

Elric turned from the prisoners to the witch that stood there. "My Lady, if you wished this sorcerer dead, my men could handle him easily" he began, a little confused as to why she had not asked him already.

"Unfortunately, I doubt that they could. He is no sorcerer, he is a warlock – a much more dangerous and formidable enemy. Besides with Camelot's knights ridding us of him, the druids will believe that they were ordered to kill him by their Prince. Emrys is worshiped by them, killing him will ensure that they will join us, if only to get revenge" Morgana replied.

Elric sneered as he finally understood her plan. Morgana soon left to return to her little hut on the other side of the forest. Turning back to the three knights, he saw that they were staring ahead, looking at nothing in particular. The red of their eyes were only just starting to disappear.

"Alright, get up" Elric ordered. The three knights immediately stood on their feet. "You will go to the druid camp, and carry out the order".

The knights walked away without saying anything, back to their horses – which Elric had brought with them. It was a while later before they could hear the talk and movement of the enlarged druid camp ahead of them. Tying their horses' reins so that they wouldn't wonder of, the three men moved forwards silently. They then crawled forwards, so that they wouldn't get noticed by those that were sat in the camp. One hand on the hilt of their swords, and the other on the ground in front of them, they listened to the conversation that was going on around the camp fire that had been built a short distance away from them.

They could see nine people sitting on various logs that were arranged around the fire. Two of the druids – a woman and an older man – were sitting on the logs by themselves, while another man sat on another log next to a girl who looked like she was his daughter. Another man, a tall brunette man, was sat next to another man who appeared to be about the same age, wearing druid robes. On the last log, three people sat side by side: a woman with long wavy brown hair, and green eyes; a young man; and another person, who wore a dark blue cape and had their face hidden by the hood.

There seemed to be a debate of some sort going on, as they saw that all of the druid that belonged to the camp were gathered around the camp fire, around the people on the logs. They were assembled as close as they could to the logs. Not close enough to look as if they were a part of the conversation, but close enough so that they could easily listen in – just as the three enchanted knights were now doing.

"-have herself on the throne of Camelot, and have those with magic placed higher in importance than those without" the older man, who was sitting on his own, said.

"Many of my people believe that she has her heart in the right place, by wanting to free magic, but her ways of doing so are too harsh, too violent" the tall brunette, who sat next to the other man, added.

Other people from in the crowd of druids started yelling out questions, to the point where it looked like all of them were about to burst with something to say, voices overlapping each other. Silence fell as the hooded man stood and addressed them all. The three knights couldn't help but share glances as they heard the man's voice. They had immediately recognized him of course. There was no mistaking that voice that they had all come to know so well.

"Merlin" they whispered. They didn't move, they kept listening. His speech was inspirational, causing a spark of curiosity in all three of them. This was Merlin, and yet he was giving this speech about how amazing Arthur would be when he became King. This wasn't what had surprised them though. They already knew how loyal the servant was to the Prince, and how much faith he had in his friend. What surprised them was what else he was saying. He was convincing them that the Prince of Camelot would one day accept magic, it seemed that he was defending magic. Both Gwaine and Percival were confused, unaware that Merlin had had these views. If he truly believed that magic was not all bad, then why did he remain in Camelot all these years? Seeing people killed for it – they both knew that some of those people were completely harmless, but they had stayed only because of their loyalties to Camelot – and Gwaine's loyalty to his closest friend, Merlin.

But why would Merlin stay? He didn't have to, after all. Merlin was the kindest hearted person that they had ever met. If he truly believed that magic wasn't all bad, then why would he stay in a place that killed those people?

Then someone from the crowd asked him a question, and they heard the name with which he was addressed. 'Emrys' the druid had said. Not 'Merlin', but 'Emrys'. Their eyes flashed red as the name was spoken, reminding them of their 'orders'. So this was the man that they had been sent to kill. They had been sent, unintentionally, to kill Merlin. The red dimmed slightly at that thought, but no quicker had they thought it, and the red flashed once more, a much deeper shade, overpowering their friendship with the man. The magic Morgana had used would force them to kill Emrys, no matter what.

The three men crawled slowly backwards, back to their horses. They waited patiently for the druids to return to their own camps, and watched from behind the trees as the people from the logs walked in their separate directions. They made their way quietly towards the path that Emrys/Merlin and his two associates were walking along.

Each of them drew their swords in waiting, but each of their hands wavered as they did. Some part of them knew what they were about to do – that they were about to attack one of their closest friends. A friend who they liked to include in their pranks against the cook, against the Lords that hated them because they were commoners that had been knighted, and especially against Arthur – the former and latter only for the fun of it.

But once again, the red flashed in their eyes, forcing them to carry out the order.

They heard Emrys talking to the other two, and walked out when they made too much noise to pretend that they weren't there any longer. Gwaine spoke to the man that he knew he was about to attack.

As he raised the sword above his friend, ready to swing down, that part of him realized what he was doing, and was screaming at him to stop, but the magic that Morgana had used wouldn't allow it. The sword started its decent, as Merlin closed his eyes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present…<strong>_

The blow never came.

As Merlin opened his eyes, he saw the three men fall to the ground, their eyes closed, and their swords stuck in trees on the other side of the clearing. Kiran had his hands held out towards where the three knights had once stood, breathing heavily.

"Kiran…you didn't use any words" Anya started.

"I know…" he replied, stunned at his power. He had used non-verbal magic to remove the swords from their grip, and knock the three men unconscious. "I've never done that before…"

Merlin started to stand, staring down at his once friends, the knights of Camelot. Anya and Kiran rushed forwards, helping him to his feet.

"Merlin…Emrys, are you okay?" Anya asked.

"Yes…yes I'm fine, but I don't understand…" Merlin started, still staring at his unconscious friends.

Kiran moved towards his friends, as Anya helped Merlin to the side, where he sat down and allowed her take a look at his injury. Merlin heard Kiran mumble a few words as he checked the state of the three knights. Kiran's head hung when his magic revealed to him what had happened, and he made his way back to the other two.

"There are traces of dark magic around them. They have been enchanted, by who I do not know, but I think it is obvious that they were in order to kill you, Merlin. Or more specifically, to kill Emrys" Kiran started. "It's a good thing I didn't kill them, otherwise the trace of the magic would have disappeared, but as they are alive, it is still there".

Merlin nodded his understanding. "We need to return to the camp…" he said, trying to stand, but found that the wound drew the breath from him quickly; making him exhausted just trying to stand up.

"I'll return to the others, and get some people to come and help move your friends into the camp. Stay here" Kiran said, starting to run in the direction that they were originally headed.

After a few moments, when Merlin was sitting comfortably – or as comfortable as possible – Merlin turned to Anya:

"I don't understand…what happened, what are they doing here?" he asked.

They soon saw Kiran return along the path, along with seven other druids from their camp. Six of them helped carry the unconscious bodies of the knights back to the Amala camp. The seventh had brought bandages and helped Anya to take care of Merlin's injury, before helping him to return to the camp. Upon arrival, once Merlin was sat down, they took time to use their magic in order to heal him – they didn't want to do so on the path in case someone else had come along when they were unawares.

Merlin walked into the tent where his friends had been placed, finding Kiran and Sara already inside.

"Emrys…the are still unconscious" Kiran started. "I suggest that we remove the magic that they are under before they awake. We do not want them attacking you again".

"Of course…" Merlin replied. He knew already that he would have to be the one to do so. The others were trained in healing magic or, in Kiran's case, healing and fire. He would be the only one at this camp that could use the words of the old religion in any way. He was the only warlock – which made him able to create magic by simply arranging the words of the old religion.

He walked over to Lancelot's bed, as it was the closest, and thought of the words he would use. Placing a hand on his friend's chest, he spoke the words.

"Inde magica sub te alica, ego dimittam vos***" he whispered, and his eyes shone a brighter gold than that of Morgana, showing that he truly was more powerful. Once the spell had taken place, Lancelot's eyes flew open and the red flashed, indicating that the spell had been broken, and then his eyes closed once more.

He repeated this for both of the other two knights, both of their eyes flashing red before suddenly closing again. Merlin backed away from them as Kiran checked them over. It was revealed that now they were sleeping and would wake up soon. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, and then tensed up again. What if they remembered? It wasn't so much of a big deal if Lancelot remembered, he already knew about Merlin, but the other two….If Lancelot remembered, then the other two would too. He would have to wait for them to wake up before he could decide what he would do. He couldn't think about it right then – thinking about them not accepting him worried him too much.

So he would wait for them to awake, then he would find out the truth.

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><p><strong>Last line sucked, but I needed something that made it obvious that the chapter was finished :D<strong>

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><p><strong>Spells Used:<strong>

***Mod wæs cræftleas – **used in the 12th episode of the fourth season. Means something along the lines of** 'the mind was simple'.**

****Precipio tibi quod facias, et occidas Emrys – **used a Latin translator for this. Means **'You will do as I command, and you will kill Emrys'.**

******* **Inde magica sub te alica, ego dimittam vos – **again I used a Latin translator. Means '**From this magic spell that you are under, I release you'.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**To explain why the Amala used to be known as Asa, that was the name of their group before Anya had taken over as the leader. When she took over they all decided that, because of the bad memories concerning the previous leader, they would give themselves a new name. I forgot to mention that in the chapter 'Discoveries' – sorry about that. Also forgot to mention that 'Valerian' was the previous name for the 'Virtus' druid clan. And 'Bala' used to be the name of the 'Ventus' druids – the one that Thala is the leader of. This information isn't really important, but I think one aspect of it is sometime in the future – you'll find out when it comes into the story :D Sorry again about forgetting to mention this in previous chapter – I am such a dunderhead sometimes XD**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**merlinismylife - **hope this was soon enough :) thanks a lot, really happy to hear it :D xoxo

**EvilCabbagezPwn - **Well, you were right! Just with a little twist, he he! thanks for reviewing! hope this was just as enjoyable as the last :D

**Bottled Sunshine - **He he :D ooh, it's getting dramatic! XD hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing :)

**noreallyidontcare - **love that term ' wonderfully horrible' :D i totally know that feeling, it's so good, and yet positively evil at the same time he he! :D hope you enjoyed it!

**Mediatrix - **hope this was soon enough! :D

**Global Conquest-er - **wow! thank you! I understand about that - I usually review on the go (which is why I love my phone he he) hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reviewing!

**Heart of Diamond - **lol, George? he he! XD

**LittleMissUnPerfect - **well, it was sort of true, he he! thanks, great to hear that! I like your dramatic thinking :) i love it when stories get all dramatic :D yup yup! fizzy juice and sweets - a wicked combination XD I'm hyper most of the time - well happy and excitable - so I'm even worse after eating and drinking those XD Thanks for reviewing! You're fab for reviewing so many times :D

**PartlyInsaneEvilKitty - **hope I updated quick enough! and hope that you enjoyed it :D thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks again to everyone for reviewing! **

**Xx**


	16. Allies or Enemies?

**Here's the next chapter, as promised! :D**

**Sorry for not getting this up sooner, but I had a really hard time finding a computer that had access to a computer - just be glad that i didn't put it on hiatus, because something at home nearly made me do it! :) sorry anway, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Had the spelling for the name of the forest checked – I think I've been spelling it as 'Escetir' or something like that, when it's actually 'Ascetir'. Either way, it's in the past so if anyone notices it spelt the original way just ignore it and assume that it's meant to be the later – ta! **

**Finale was amazing! Couldn't believe that ending – so did not see that coming! Now we'll have to wait another year! God, please let it hurry up, he he :D**

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><p>Merlin paced backwards and forwards across the floor of his tent. His tent had been placed close to that of the sleeping knights, therefore allowing him to know exactly when they had woken up. It had already been over three quarters of an hour since they had been brought back from the path that they had been found on. It would soon be time for Merlin – as Emrys – to return to the centre of the camp, and here the decisions from each of the five leaders of druids. He already knew what the Amala druids had decided, being camped with them, as for the others….<p>

Merlin had removed the hood from his cloak a while ago, finding that there was no need anyway, as practically everyone in this druid camp knew what he looked like – he knew that he could trust them to not reveal that information to anyone – but he still jumped when someone called his name as they pushed through the material being used as the tent door. He turned and instinctively brought his hand up to his hood, having it halfway over his head before he realized that it was Anya.

"Sorry, Merlin, for making you jump. I thought you should know that we should be heading back" she explained. "I have Sara and her brother, Paul watching over your friends".

"Thank you. I don't think they're going to like where they are when they wake up, so have them tell them that I'll be back as soon as I can – the 'Merlin' me, not the 'Emrys' me" he added, smiling slightly.

"Of course. I'll see you in a moment" she replied, turning and walking back out of the tent in order to do so.

Thinking about his friends and their reactions – and possibly their memories – he raised the dark blue hood over his head, covering his face in darkness. With a quiet sigh, he stood up straighter, ready for whatever would come from the next meeting, and walked out of the tent to find Anya and Kiran waiting for him – Sara and Paul were now heading to the other tent, in order to keep an eye on the knights.

"We all set?" Kiran asked, looking between the two.

"Yeah, Sara said that she'll send word if your friends wake up while we're away" Anya replied, turning to Merlin as she finished.

Merlin nodded his thanks to Anya, and they started the walk back to the centre of the camp. It took them less time than Merlin thought it would – as Merlin had secretly hoped it would take longer. The closer he got to the centre of camp, the more nervous he became. Although the leaders seemed to support his way of thinking, there was always a chance that they – or others from their group – would prefer to 'play it safe' and stick with siding with Morgana.

He knew that in the upcoming battle, he and Camelot were going to need all the help that they could get.

Merlin saw found himself standing next to the logs that they had occupied a little over an hour ago, the other leaders close by – they had clearly been waiting for them, so that they could get the 'meeting' started. He sat in the same place as before, with Anya and Kiran on either side of him. Being closest to him, Anya stood once everyone had sat, deciding that their group would be the first to announce their decision. Perhaps with at least one person siding with Emrys, it would make it easier for others to agree to the same conclusion with less worry about ramifications – mainly those from Morgana, and anyone who would side with her.

Merlin saw a smile on Alwyn's face when Anya announced the Amala's decision. From the look on his face, Merlin could tell what the Terra druid's decision had been. To further confirm it, he stood and announced to the other leader that he too, as well as his people had agreed that Emrys' ideas where much more logical, and future-friendly than Morgana's.

Merlin felt a lot better knowing that there were others that were agreeing with them – despite everything, he was still afraid that Anya's druids would be the only ones to move away from Morgana. Third to stand, as Alwyn sat once more, was Thana – the leader of the Ventus druids. Thana had shown no indication on her face whether her decision had been one way or another, and that was what worried Merlin most – he liked having some indication before they spoke. Thana revealed that her people believed it would be more sensible to agree with Emrys, as siding with Morgana would be more likely to get them killed – as many of the people that have tried to take over Camelot had done before.

Lael was next to stand. Although he had more emotion on his face, he was still difficult for Merlin to read. According to the fire-sorcerer, there had been a lot of debate, as many people within his camp had felt affects from Uther's rule – at which, Merlin saw Anya sit straighter, as if she wanted to say something. There had been a few that debated that Morgana had several points when it came to Camelot's royalty. Despite how Emrys might be the one to sway the future Prince into believing that magic could be used for good, as well as to harm others, the present King was still ruling over Camelot, and because of his laws, magical beings were still being killed. Lael asked that if another magical being were to come into Camelot, he would find a way to either free said prisoner – of they did not deserve to be punished – or at least alert them so that they could free that person.

Merlin thought that this was a good idea, in general. Before he had met these people, freeing every sorcerer or witch that had been unfairly arrested and punished was too difficult a task for him to complete. He found it a miracle that, over the years, so many magical beings had left Camelot unharmed, such as: Mordred; Gilli; Anhora; Aglain; Trickler; Alvarr – and only a few had no bad intentions towards Camelot itself. Merlin agreed, and he could see behind Lael that a few people's shoulders dropped, ad they had tensed while waiting for his answer to Lael's request.

Finally, James stood. He, like Lael, showed emotion, but from what he saw Merlin started to think that he was going to side with Morgana. When he gave his answer, he spoke to the point, getting straight to the fact – he would side with Emrys. While this made him happy, Merlin couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. He looked as if he were angry at giving this answer, as if forced into it. Not many would be able to tell, but after learning from the times that Arthur would be completely silent, showing no emotion, he was able to tell what the man might be thinking or feeling.

The druids clapped as the five leaders, Merlin, Kiran and Kali rose from their seats, the agreement finally made.

"Did James seem…like he had been forced into giving that answer?" Merlin asked in whisper, turning to Anya as they walked away from their log.

"You mean like he had been overruled by the other druids?" she asked, her tone suggesting that she was thinking the same thing. "I was thinking that it was possible. But it doesn't matter. If the other druids in his group had indeed decide that leaving Morgana was for the best, then as their leader it is his sworn duty to do as his people see best".

It was decided that they would start removing their tents and putting out the camp fires. Staying in that forest suggested that they were still with Morgana. The forest was already very dark. With her dark magic getting involved made it feel as if they were on very dangerous territory – especially if they were deserting her.

"Emrys, once we have cleared up our camps, we were thinking of heading, all five of our groups, to another part of Camelot. Staying here, so close to enemy is never a good idea. We will head towards the White Mountains, and then onto The Isle of the Blessed" Alwyn started, as four of the leaders gathered with Emrys at the side of the clearing.

"One of us will remain in the Valley of the Fallen Kings, along with a handful of sorcerers, in case you ever have need of us, or there is someone in Camelot that needs our help" Lael continued.

"Thank you. Your help would be much appreciated" Merlin replied, sincerity in his voice.

Each of the leaders gave Emrys a smile and a nod as they turned and walked back to their camping areas, preparing to remove their things and head for another area of Camelot all together. Merlin looked around once the leaders had started leaving, seeing that Anya was talking to Kali – James' daughter.

Merlin stood with Kiran as she finished what she was saying.

"It's good to know that no one will think of joining Morgana in the attack" Kiran said, as they stood in comfortable silence.

"It is" Merlin said, letting the happiness show through his voice, since his smile couldn't be seen.

"But there is still the Lady Morgana to think of, Emrys. What of her? There will be no point in trying to convince those mercenaries of hers to change their minds. They are loyal to her because they are afraid of her, plus the fact that she promises them things for when she would be Queen" Kiran asked.

Merlin had to think. He knew that Morgana would only be inconvenienced by removing her sorcerers from her army of soldiers, but she would still attack if she had people to do it. There were plenty of people who were non-magical that harboured a grudge or hatred of the King of Camelot, and many could be easily persuaded by Morgana to join her.

"I suppose we'll have to handle that when it comes to it" was all that Merlin could supply as an answer, his smile now vanishing from both his face and his voice.

Soon Anya came over to them, and Kali walked in the same direction her father had.

"Sounds as if the war is going to be over before it begins" said someone out of Merlin's sight.

The three turned to look for whoever had spoken, and found three knights staring back at them. Merlin smiled at seeing that his friends were okay, and awake, but then he remembered why they had been unconscious in the first place. The knights before him were unarmed, so obvious they had not come for a fight – did that mean that they were okay with it all, or were they just unable to find any weapons?

"Perhaps we should speak somewhere else?" Lancelot suggested when the silence seemed to go on forever without interruption.

"Good idea" Percival replied.

Together the six of them turned down the path back to the Amala camp, and started the short walk there. They took their time, no one in any particular hurray to return.

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><p>"When do you think that they'll return?" Leon asked, as he, Elyan and Prince Arthur walked down the corridor towards the armoury.<p>

"Not long, I hope. Seeing as Lancelot knows where they are, it shouldn't take that long for them to get there and back with the information" Arthur replied.

The three knights had left over three hours ago. Arthur had travelled to the Forest of Ascetir many times before, so he could only assume that they had at least reached their destination by now. They should be leaving soon enough; therefore he would expect them to return within the next couple of hours.

"How are the preparations coming along?" Arthur asked as they continued walking.

"We have six men on each of the main entrances and at least two on the others – including the secret passageways in and out of the castle" Leon started.

"Every weapon that we have within the city are being brought up to the castle, and are being prepared for war" Elyan continued.

"We have every Knight available getting ready, but I fear that that may not be enough, my Lord" Leon finished.

"Why not?"

"According to the reports from the borders, the numbers of people that have crossed the border – the people that are now suspected of being Morgana's allies – equal half of ours. If they were simply men with swords, we could easily survive such a threat, but these people are suspected of possessing magic….With that many people using magic against Camelot…I doubt that we could defend it for very long" Leon replied, his face grave.

Arthur looked out the window as he thought about what he had said. He saw the soldiers running back and forwards, moving weapons further into the castle, and the people from the lower towns coming through the castle gates and up through the door to head to where the rest of the people were taking refuge.

"Then we will have to hope that Merlin and this…Emrys are successful" Arthur replied. "Until we know one way or the other, we should prepare to fight as we are, with the numbers that we have".

"Very well, Sire" Leon replied.

The sick feeling in the bottom of Arthur's stomach wasn't giving in to rest. He knew that he and his men were more than competent fighters, but against that many that possessed magic – it was a whole different story. He had never hoped for magic to ally itself with him, but seeing as otherwise it would destroy the city, and its people, there was nothing else he could wish for.

* * *

><p>"So, Merlin, you have magic. Not only that, but you are this 'Emrys' person that we've been hearing so much about?" Percival started.<p>

The six of them stood or sat within one of the last remaining tents in the Amala camp. Merlin had removed his hood, figuring it now to be a complete waste of time. The three knights before him clearly knew of his true identity, and could apparently remember everything that had happened while they were under Morgana's spell. It was as if someone else was controlling their movements and speech, but they were completely aware of everything that was going on around them.

"Yes, I was born with magic…. My magic is as natural to me as breathing is to you" Merlin replied slowly. When Percival sighed in reply, Merlin thought to ask the question that had been on his mind for ages. "What are you two going to do?" he asked, directing his question to Percival and Gwaine.

"Two? You already knew, did you Lancelot?" Percival asked, to which Lancelot nodded.

"You'd better make that one, actually. I already knew" Gwaine added, a smile on his face.

"What!" Merlin jumped, staring at his friend in disbelief. "How- But you- Why- You haven't said anything, why haven't you said anything?"

"Thought that you'd tell me when you were ready" Gwaine replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Really Merlin, it's not that hard to figure out, after everything that's happened. And I know for a fact that it was you that caused that fire when we had the honour of Jarl's company".

"So you've known for at least a year and not said a thing?" Merlin started.

"You never told me at all!" Gwaine argued.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Even?" Merlin asked, holding out his hand to his knighted friend.

""Yeah, why not?" Gwaine replied, his smile widening, and taking the offered hand. They both laughed as Lancelot shook his head at the two friends.

"Percival?" Merlin started, uncertainly, looking from one knights to another.

Said Knight stood as Merlin had addressed him. "Merlin, I have known you less time than any of the other knights, but I already know that you would never betray Camelot or Arthur. I know that you would do anything to protect both. Don't worry so much!" he smiled. "Besides, from where I originally come from, magic was used to help heal people, as much as it was to harm. I have already seen that magic can be used for good purposes, and knowing that you have magic - of all people - only increases my belief that it is possible".

"Thank you, Percival. You've no idea what it's like to know that you don't hate me for this" Merlin replied.

"See! I told you, Emrys, that if your friends were truly friends then they would accept you" Anya added, stepping forwards. "You shouldn't worry yourself about such things! Besides, there are other things to worry about".

"True. Like the real reason why you three were in the area?" Merlin started, turning back to the three knights. "You said that Morgana had enchanted you to kill me – the 'Emrys' me – and that by doing so it would look like Arthur had ordered the attack, but why were you anywhere near here in the first place?"

"Arthur needs more information" Gwaine started. "He doesn't know what sort of weapons we'll be facing in the battle, and that makes it rather hard to prepare for".

"We heard the decision of those five people that were sitting beside you, Merlin, so I'm guessing that they decide what the sorcerers do?" Percival asked.

"Yes, there are five different groups of druids here, and they have decided not to join Morgana. Which means that the only magic we'll be facing is that from Morgana herself" Merlin replied. "But she still has mercenaries at her command, so she will probably still try to attack the city – not that she'll really stand much of a chance".

"We should return then, and tell Arthur that the druids have decided to not take part in the battle" Lancelot added, standing from his chair.

"Tell him that, if he would allow it, we of the Amala wish to help in any way we can. We are primarily educated in healing, so I would wish you to speak to Prince about my offer of my people coming to Camelot and giving aid to those that need it" Anya said, speaking up.

This not only took the three knights by surprise, but Merlin as well. He had not expected Anya or her people to wish to go anywhere near the city, given the laws against magic.

"I don't know that he'll accept-" Percival started.

"Please, make the offer all the same. I wish him to know that we mean him and his people no harm, and that we only wish to help forge a better future for everyone" Anya interrupted.

Percival acknowledged that they would do so, and the three Knights of Camelot soon left their tent and returned to their horses – which members of the Amala had searched for and brought back to camp earlier that day, when the three men had woken up.

"Merlin" Lancelot started, calling his friend over to him in order to talk to him privately. "Merlin, while we three have promised not to reveal your secret to anyone…is it really for the best to hide this from Arthur?" he continued, getting straight to the point. "Arthur trusts you-".

"And if he discovers who I am, he won't" Merlin interrupted.

"How can you be so sure?" Lancelot argued. "You still think that he will hate you because you have magic, but when I told him that he should trust 'Emrys' he accepted it – because he trusted you. He said that if you trust this person – even though they had magic – then he would trust them too".

Merlin thought for a moment – he never knew that Arthur would trust him so much. As far as he had seen, Arthur hated magic with every fibre of his being since Morgana had betrayed him, and yet he would wave that hatred aside because he – Arthur's servant – had said that he trusted them? Merlin's belief in the future that Arthur would bring strengthened at the thought of that trust.

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><p><strong>Done and dusted :) Adding this note on Christmas Day, so Merry Christmas! He he, although it would probably be more appropriate to say Happy New Year, since it should be closer to the New Year by the time that this gets posted - unless I manage to get it out on Monday, in which case I'm talking a load of garbage! :D<strong>

**Reviews:**

**ReadingRaven019 - **glad to hear that you liked it! :D I had to go with this storyline - i just couldn't allow them to forget everything, they simply had to know :)

**Magic Cabbage - **thanks! hehe love that word - magicky! :D hope this one was just as good :)

**Minch - **Lol, a lot of people started out thinking like that :D Same here, i think it's either a miracle, or everyone knows and are neglecting to say anything - especially how Arthur keeps saying something along the lines of "couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it" lol. hope you enjoyed this one :D

**HplcMlVr - **lol, yup! He's awesome! lol :D thanks! hope you liked it :) thanks for reviewing by the way :D

**risenmitten - **:D thanks! he he, i think most people hoped that they would remember, which is totally to be expected, everyone wants them to find out :D And i totally agree with the Gwaine thing - which is why I had to add it in the chapter :D thanks for reviewing!

**asdf - **tried to get this up sooner, but i totally failed! sorry! at least its up - almost had to put it on hiatus this weekend cause of something that happened at home, but it's over, so everything's fine :) hope this was enjoyable, and thanks for reviewing! :D

**Lientjuhh - **thanks! and thank you for reviewing! :D

**Thanks to everyone again for reviewing, etc! You're the best, btw :D**

**Xx**


	17. Magical Aid

**Hope that this didn't take too long to appear! Hehe :) Hope everyone had a Xmas and enjoyed their new year! sorry if it's like it's taking me ages to upload, I've just been really busy lately - I'll try to do better for all of you fab readers :)**

**Three reviews? Okay I'll go with it :)**

**I believe that there may be mistakes within this chapter because I was forced to retype it on my ipod and then email it to myself in order to access it - stupid computer shuts down after five minutes so it's a little difficult. Because I had to retype it from memory this is a little shorter than the original, sorry about that, I'll try and type more for next time :)**

**Do not own Merlin, I only play around with the characters for the fun of it! :D However, I totally own the story so :P to anyone thinking about suing me :D **

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><p>Merlin sat on the log facing the camp fire. The three knights had left the camp almost two hours ago, and he could only hope that hey had managed to deliver Anya's message to Arthur by now. Part of him hoped that he would accept their help, but he knew that if that were to happen, Arthur would inevitably find out about his magic. Was this the right time for him to find out? He wasn't even King yet, he would be committing treason if he agreed to keep his secret and allow him to live. He would be choosing to go against his father - a situation he never wanted to place him in.<p>

Anya and Kiran were preparing horses, getting ready to move their camp. One way or another they were leaving this area. If Arthur agreed to their helping to health injured then they would travel to the castle and meet the Prince there. If not, then they would travel to Ealdor - by Merlin's suggestion that they would be safe there than in Camelot. In Ealdor they wouldn't be hunted by Camelot's soldiers or found by any of the patrols.

Merlin wondered how long it would take for Arthur to get a message back to them. They had asked that at least one of the knights would return to their camp in order to tell them whether or not Arthur was accepting heir help - especially since they were never going to side with Morgana.

"Don't worry, Emrys. I'm sure that Arthur Pendragon will make he right decision" Anya said, sitting down next to him.

"I hope so" Merlin replied. "I know that he makes the right decision when it comes to protecting his people. He always does, I just hope that any hatred he still has for magic doesn't make him turn away the help that you and your people are offering".

"If he truly makes decisions based on whether or not it protects his people, then I know that he will accept are help. Not just because of that but because it is not hard to tell that he trusts you" Anya replied. "He believes that Emrys is a different person - some unknown warlock - and yet despite his past hatred of magic he trusts him. That is because of you, Merlin".

"How do you do that?" Merlin started, smiling slightly. "You always know what's bothering me".

"It's part of my gift" Anya smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I can usually tell what a person is feeling, it's like I can get a vibe of the emotion that's on the surface on the person's mind".

"I bet that that has come in useful a few times" Merlin replied.

"It does when there is something bothering someone in my group, and it also helps me tell if a person is lying or not" Anya said, nodding her head in agreement.

"Definitely helpful then" he replied, thinking of all the times in the past that he could have used that ability.

Anya laughed with him as they sat side by side on the log, both waiting for the reply from Camelot's Prince.

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><p>Arthur looked out over the battlements, watching as his men helped bring the last of the people from the city through the streets and into the castle. He knew that this sort of hint had happened before, but every time he knew that there would be an attack on the city, it never really sank in until the battle had actually started. That was why it was hard for him to believe that in a couple days - or less - the silent and somewhat peaceful city before him could be in ruins and on fire once more.<p>

His father was still confined to his room, unlikely to get up any time soon. Gaius had tried everything that he could think of, but it still appeared that there was nothing that could be done to improve the King's health. His health was getting worse and Arthur was starting to worry more about how much time his father has left. He hardly ever ate, and seemed to spend all his time sitting in his chair by the window or sleeping in his bed. Gwen, who had been taking care of Uther, had also noticed this and had realised that had hadn't spoken much since Morgana's betrayal. In fact she would say that he hadn't spoken at all.

He tried not to think about things at such a time, but the upcoming war kept reminding him of how his father used to always be there by his side when the city was under attack, fighting alongside him, and helping him protect their people. Now their King was unable to help defend them, and Arthur was unsure If he could defend the city on his own. Without his father's advice he wasn't sure if he could make the right decisions.

Continuing to look across the city, he could see three horses approaching the city Walls from the path in the woods. The wore the Camelot crest on the back of their cloaks, indicating that they were knights of Camelot. He knew who they were immediately, and felt a small smile grace his lips. They had finally returned, and hopefully with some good news and with something that would help them to win the oncoming battle.

Lancelot, Gwaine and Percival finally found their eyes looking upon the tall towers that belonged to Camelot castle. They had hurried their horses as fast as they could, willing them to reach home as fast as possible. They stopped for a moment as they reached the field just beyond the forest, and looked up at the undamaged city.

"We're not too late, the castle is still standing" Gwaine started.

"For the moment... We should hurry. The more time we can give Arthur to prepare his people, the better" Percival commented.

Without any reply, the three knights pushed their horses further towards the great city. They soon found themselves rushing through the lower parts of the city. Upon entering the courtyard of the castle, they saw Arthur making his way down the steps to greet them.

"You three took your time" Arthur started, walking towards his three knights as they got off of their horses. "Were you able to find them?"

"Perhaps we should talk somewhere less out in the open?" Lancelot suggested.

The four of them made their way to one of the unused rooms in the castle, finding Leon and Elyan on the way and bringing them with them. Once there water was given to the three newly returned knights, and they were allowed to catch their breath before they spoke.

"I take it that you found them then?" Elyan asked. Looking between the three of them.

"We did. It turns out that we don't have to worry about Morgana having a magical army" Percival replied.

"Emrys was able to convince the Druids that fighting would only make things worse" Gwaine continued. "They have agreed that more peaceful methods would be better to prove that they don't want to fight with us. They would rather live in peace with us".

"In peace?" Arthur asked. "The Druids want to live in peace? Why do they keep attacking Camelot's men?"

"They haven't been. It's been others - ones who have left their Druid group, deserted the rest of their kind. The Druids themselves are peaceful, and do not use violence unless it is absolutely necessary" Percival answered.

"The Druids have never been the ones to attack us?" Arthur asked, slightly shocked at heating his information. " Are you sure?"

"We have meet with this Emrys, Arthur, we trust him" Lancelot replied, thinking of Merlin.

The other two knights nodded in agreement. Arthur still couldn't believe that they were willing to put their trust in someone who possessed magic - someone who was once thought of as their enemy. Then again, he once believed that he could trust Morgana and felt like she was a sister to him. Everything was changing. He also knew the main reason why they would trust the sorcerer - Merlin. He knew that if Merlin trusted someone, then that person was worth trusting. Merlin never gave his trust unless they had earned it, just like when the two of them had first met. Merlin only began trusting Arthur after he had seen how much he cared for the people of Camelot. Looking back, Arthur knew that he hadn't really given him a reason to trust him going by how they had met - more a reason to hate him.

Why Merlin ever put so much trust into him he would never know.

"Well... This is brilliant news! At least we won't be going up against hundreds of magical beings, that puts the odds more in out favour if she attacks" Arthur commented.

"There is something else as well, Arthur" Gwaine started. "The Druids that Merlin is staying with - they asked us to send you a message".

"A message? What about?"

"When Morgana attacks, which they believe will still happen, people are going to get hurt" Percival replied. "The leader of the Amala Druid group wishes to offer their assistance".

"They have a great knowledge when it comes to healing, and they wish to help" Lancelot finished, looking at Arthur for his reaction to the offer.

Arthur thought it over. "I don't know if I can allow that".

"Arthur they mean us no harm-".

"They can be trusted-"

"Give them a chance!"

"Gentlemen! I did not mean that I personally cannot allow them - I'd it were up to me I would welcome their help gratefully, but I am not yet King, only Regent. I could overpower the council - I know they would not allow them here - but if I were to do that we may lose friends here within the city".

"You think that because many of the council members have the same hatred of magic as Uther, they may betray us to one of our enemies?" Leon asked, guessing at Arthur's thoughts.

"It's a possibility" he replied, looking at the ground as he thought about who would be most likely to do such a thing.

"Arthur, you may not be King, but the men will follow your word without question. They would know that you did if for the good of Camelot, because they know that you would do anything to protect your people" Elyan explained.

"If the council members were to disagree with your decision, they would still be overpowered by number of people who would stand by your choice" Leon continued.

"They wouldn't dare go against something you decided, Arthur. You're the Prince of Camelot. If they did, then they would be committing treason" Lancelot finished.

Arthur nodded, agreeing with what they were saying. What would his father say if he ever found out? He knew that he would probably send him to the dungeon and rant about how his son must have been under a spell or enchantment. But judging by the way his fathers health was heading, it seemed as if he would never have a high enough level of awareness in order to find out about any of this - including any battle that took place within the castle.

"I think that we need to hold a meeting with the council and Lords. If we go into this fight against Morgana, we're going to need all the help we can get" Arthur said, turning to face all of his most trusted knights.

The six of them left the room together, making their way to the Grand Hall of the castle, sending servants off to find the Lords and the others needed for the council meeting. Arthur was starting to really dread doing this, not because he didn't trust them - he did, even if it were only because Merlin trusted them. No, he was dreading this meeting because he knew already how the council members were going to react to his decision.

They were definitely not going to like it. But right now he didn't really care what they thought. He was Prince and they were just going to have to accept it, otherwise it would be as Lancelot said - treason. He needed to do what was important for the city and for his people, and he knew that fighting magic without magic would be too hard for them to do. He knew from the last time that there was a possibility that Morgana and her people could be able to take over Camelot again, and that was something he was going to try and avoid at all costs - even if it meant allowing magic to help them.

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><p><strong>As always, I really appreciate whatever response I get from you marvellous readers - even if it is productive criticism :) <strong>

**Reviews:**

**ReadingRaven019 - **thanks a bunch! it's really good to hear that after 16 chapters people are still enjoying this story :) Hehe, don't worry Merlin will make it home eventually :D

**Kat Gawdess - **thanks! it's really great to know that people reading this think that this story is actually good hehe :D

**risenmitten - **hehe, i love intensity in story's :D hehe - i knew people would be happy about Gwaine already knowing about Merlin's magic, and about remembering Merlin even having magic hehe :D

**Thanks again to everyone!**

**Xx**


	18. The Council's Decision

**Slightly more to read this time around :D**

**Thanks to everyone for the response to the last chapter. One review, by risenmitten, pointed out that my mentioning Anya's gift of empathy was rather random - I agree. I was forced to rewrite the whole chapter from memory and couldn't remember how I had revealed it previously so it was a little rushed. But there is a reason that I have given her this gift - as you will all find out in time :) I also had to rewrite this chapter from memory so I apologise in advance if it too sounds a little rushed. I am pretty much going to be posting these as I finish them considering otherwise you'll be waiting a lot longer for them to posted - if I rewrite them all at once and then post :)**

**Again due to having to rewrite this, there will probably be some mistakes so please forgive me :) hope that you still enjoy it though!**

**I don't Merlin and I never said I did so anyone who tries to sue me - let's just say that it's a waste of time :D I do, however own the creation of my OC's.**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Arthur stood silent as he waited for the reaction from the Lords of the council. He had just informed them that he Amala clan of druids had been in touch and wished to offer their assistance during the battle against Morgana. He had fully explained why he believed such a decision had to be made. These people were no threat to Camelot. They only wished to live in peace. They just wanted the opportunity to prove both of these statements. The Lords that sat before him looked at one another without saying anything.<p>

"My Lord... Is that really the best idea?" said one Lord as he stood up from the table. "Magic within Camelot is forbidden, My Lord. Your father would not appreciate-".

"That is why he will not find out. You all know how...unwell my father is. During this battle, it is unlikely that he will be aware if what is going on around him. No one here will inform him of this information" Arthur replied.

"But after everything that has happened, you are willing to allow these people within Camelot? They have magic, they will betray us to the Lady Morgana the first chance that they get" another Lord commented.

"We have a man on the inside, someone who has gained the trust of these Druids. He assures me that their loyalties do not and will not lie with her" Arthur replied.

"And this man can be trusted?" said another, surprise evident in his voice and on his face. "How do we know that this person will not betray us also?"

"I trust this man, which should be enough for you all. He has proven that he is worth my trust time and time again over the years" Arthur replied.

Once more the Lords looked at one another in surprise, wondering who this man could be. Arthur knew that he couldn't tell them that this person was a servant - they would never accept a servant as someone that could be trusted with a matter so important.

"If any man here cannot fight and accept the help that the Amala are offering, then I give them two options. They can argue, find that I will not change my mind, and then leave Camelot. Or they can accept that I am going to accept magic once more inside Camelot and fight to defend this city" Arthur declared, looking at each Lord in turn.

Not one Lord spoke up, at which Arthur and his most trusted knights were shocked, but did not allow themselves to show. Finally though, Arthur stood back from the table, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Seeing this, one Lord spoke up.

"My Lord, most of us here remembers how Camelot once was, before the law against magic was brought about. The city flourished back then, magic was something of a gift, not a curse. It was used to heal those who could not get aid by any normal means. Magic had been used to attack this city once or twice before, but it also helped to protect Camelot against those threats" he explained.

"Indeed" Geoffrey commented. "Many of the recent threats have been because of the way those with magic have been treated in your past. Each of us here know that you would not make such a decision lightly, My Lord. You would only do that which helps to protect this city and your people".

Arthur nodded in understanding. This was better than he could have hoped for. A few Lords smiled gently as Arthur looked around at each of them again, seeing that all of them were in the same mind.

He turned around to the three knights that had recently returned, knowing that they had another journey to make, in order to inform the Amala of their decision. Once more, Arthur followed the three knights out to the courtyard in order to see them off. A part of him wished that he were going with them - if he showed up himself to accept their help, they may be less inclined to believe that this was trick on his part. He knew that despite how the Druids had agreed not to fight against Camelot, some would still believe that by accepting their help, he was welcoming them into Camelot in order to arrest and execute them - like his father probably would.

But he was not his father. He just hoped that the Druids knew that, or at least that Merlin and this 'Emrys' fellow could convince them that he wasn't. Then thinking about it, he knew that at least some of the Druids must have been aware of it, otherwise they would never of offered their help in the first place.

"Do me a favour - tell Merlin not to act like his usual idiotic self? I want that idiot manservant in one piece when he returns" Arthur laughed.

Arthur didn't notice the three knights sharing an amused look as they laughed along with him. If only he knew the truth...

"Hurry, then. You must reach them before nightfall, the quicker we get them into the safety of the city walls, the better. I don't like them being so close to the enemy lines" Arthur continued.

"Arthur, the Druids will be safe, as will Merlin. Don't worry" Percival replied.

"When we left, they were already planning to leave the area in order to get away from Morgana. They shouldn't have travelled farther than halfway past the city by the time we get there" Lancelot said, remembering Merlin telling him that they were planning on moving to the Isle of the Blessed for safety - of course, now he would be coming home, so it would be better for everyone.

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><p>Merlin walked over to the horse where Anya and Kiran and another person were standing. Everything in the camp had been removed. The only clue that anyone had been there were the smoking fires that had been recently doused. As Merlin reached his friends, he finally recognised the other person as someone from Alwyn's druid group.<p>

"Emrys, we have been called back to the centre of camp. The other leaders wish to discuss who will be staying behind" Kiran told him, as Anya continued to talk to the young woman that had been sent with the message.

Within ten minutes the five leaders and their closest advisors had grouped together where he logs still remained. Merlin tried to pay attention, but found something else was drawing it. Giving up, he turned his head slightly in the direction where his magic was driving him to. He froze when he saw what his magic was trying to warn him against. Three people were approaching them on horses. At first Merlin thought that it was his three knight friends. But it wasn't.

Morgana rode slightly ahead of the other two - two people he recognised as the mercenaries he had seen earlier. They were obviously there as some form of bodyguard - not that she needed them. He noticed that Morgana had changed greatly since the last time he saw her - her black hair seemed darker, her face paler, and her eyes bolder. Her dark outfit made her look more wicked and evil than those smirks of hers ever did.

Merlin discretely nudged Anya, who turned and in turn nudged Alwyn - who was stood beside her. Then as one each of them turned to face the few that were starting to slow their horses. As they reached the group, Morgana immediately dismounted from her horse, looking at the people in front of her, her eyes hovering on Merlin the longest.

"What do you think you are doing?" she began, but not in an unfriendly way. "We have to prepare ourselves for the attack. Camelot has already started planning their defences; someone has betrayed us and informed them of our plans".

For a moment no one said a thing, unsure how to tell her that they would not fight, and escape unharmed.

"We regret to inform you, lady Morgana, that we refuse to fight in such a battle. We are peaceful Druids, my Lady, not soldiers" James started, venom making its way into his voice.

Morgana laughed at James' boldness, but not unkindly - she still wanted to try and win their allegiance. Merlin wondered why James had said that - he was bound to get an unfriendly reaction from her.

"You think I treat you like soldiers? I apologise if I have given such an impression" she started, not fooling Merlin for a moment. She smiled sweetly. "I did not mean to treat you like such. But we must prepare. They are planning to attack us first; we must strike before they have time to properly prepare".

"How do you know that they intend to strike first? Or at all for that matter?" Thana asked, looking curious.

"I know how Prince Arthur thinks; I did used to live there after all. He hates magic with the same intensity as his father, he will do anything to destroy it, and kill us all" Morgana replied.

"And who was it that made the Prince so hate magic, my Lady?" Lael asked, knowing the truth from what Emrys had told them earlier.

"Why, his father of course. The both of them have been killing innocent people for years just because they have magic, they had never even harmed anyone" Morgana replied.

"That is incorrect, my Lady" Alwyn started. "Arthur has never been a threat to the magical community. He has only ever followed his father's orders, and I have it on good authority that he has shown mercy to people in the past, despite what his father might have said had he discovered this".

Merlin had of course told them of the good things Arthur had done - despite how it might have been against his father's orders. They knew that Emrys would not lie to them about such things, and knew that the reason Arthur has recently turned against magic was because of Morgana - how her betrayal has affected him.

"You forgot to mention, my Lady, how it was your actions that provoked the Prince's hatred of our kind. He was no threat until you turned him into one" James argued.

Morgana's face immediately changed. She knew that someone had told them of what had happened the year before. She only didn't know who. Thanks to the hood Merlin was wearing, Morgana had no idea who he was. But her sight went towards him when James had finished speaking. He was the only one whose identity she was unaware of. She assumed that he was the one that had told them of the events of the last year.

"You must be Emrys" she started, beginning to walk towards him. She was stopped in her path when Kiran, Anya and James stood in front of him. She laughed at their attempts to protect him. "If I wanted to harm him you three are hardly an obstacle".

"What about all of us? I doubt you could get passed our combined power, Morgana" Thana spoke up from the back of the group.

"Oh really?" she laughed. Merlin could feel that she was about to do something, he could sense the magic she was building up. "Let's give it a go".

Morgana threw her hand up in their direction and Merlin could see her eyes shine gold. A green fire burst towards them making itself ten feet high and wide enough to cover them all. Merlin saw Morgana twist her hand as it suddenly moved quickly in their direction. All of this happened so fast that no one could react to it quick enough, they would perish in the fire. Or so Morgana had hoped.

A blue shield suddenly appeared, holding the fire back. Morgana couldn't understand how this was happening - she had never met anyone powerful enough to stand up against her power. She pushed the fire against the shield hoping to create enough pressure to break through. But the shield held.

Then the shield started pushing back. Morgana could feel it pushing back the fire like it was pushing back her. The two powers fought against one another for dominance. It finally ended when the shield suddenly forced the fire back to its creator, sending Morgana flying back across the clearing. She immediately got up, one of her 'bodyguards' helping her to her feet - something she did not appreciate.

"Get off me!" she exclaimed, pushing him away from her so she could get up herself. She stood and faced the Druid leaders.

Merlin stood with his palm facing her, his shoulders back and standing tall. Her eyes widened in surprise. She had not really heard tell about how powerful Emrys was, but she certainly knew now. She had used that spell before many times, and no one had ever been able to repel the fire - not even when two of them had combined their power and tried to do so. And yet this dark stranger had managed to do exactly that on his own, and without using any words.

She took her eyes off of Emrys and looked back at the Druid leaders.

"You are going to regret this, all of you. Even without your powers," she said, looking back at Emrys. "We will defeat Camelot, and I will take my rightful place as Queen".

Morgana turned and walked away from them. James started to walk forwards, in order to stop her, but Merlin put a hand in his way to stop him. As she got quickly on her horse and rode away with the two mercenaries, James turned to Emrys, wondering why he had stopped him.

"Violence should only be used as a last resort. I thought all you Druids believed that?" Emrys asked.

"Some of us believe that a more direct approach can have a better effect" James replied, letting Emrys know that the rumours about James' Druid group were true - they were more combatant than others.

Emrys turned to the Druid leaders.

"I apologise to you all, but I must return to Camelot immediately. I don't know what you all intend to do, but I must return to help protect the city. After what has just happened, Morgana will attack worse than before. She's angry now, as well as determined" Emrys explained.

"I will return to the rest of the Amala and inform them that we are leaving with you. We will travel with you as far as we can go and then travel onto the Isle of the Blessed - unless we receive the message from the Prince" Anya stared.

"Message? What message?" Alwyn asked.

"We have sent a message to the Prince, offering our help during the fight that is coming. Most of us will only be able to help heal the injured, but it will be help nonetheless" Anya replied.

Thana and James looked surprised at this announcement, but Alwyn and Lael looked proud. They had some idea that Anya would offer her help to Camelot, seeing how good friends she and Kiran were becoming with Emrys.

"Then I think I can happily say that my people wish to so the same" Alwyn said, smiling.

Lael declares that his people would like to do the same. Thana said that while she would like to help and would offer her help to Camelot, she doubted that the Prince would accept considering magic was still forbidden. James was of the same mind, in that he would like the opportunity to show that magic could be used for better purposes that what they had been in the past. But James also said that after what Morgana had done to Arthur and to Camelot, he couldn't see how he would accept their help.

So they decided to travel together as one towards Camelot, intending to escort Emrys back to the city, and only if the message was sent that the Prince had accepted their help would they enter the city.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**asdf **– thanks! Been trying to update quicker but there's always something that prevents me from doing so – sorry if this took too long :( I'm still in the process of rewriting the chapters – had them all saved and ready to be edited and read through when laptop stop working and now I'm trying to redo it all on a netbook/notebook (Whichever they're called hehe) thanks for the review!

**sarajm** – Thanks! :D Really good to hear that you liked Arthur's reaction to the offer – I was afraid it might have been a little OOC :S thanks for the comments, and for the review! :D

**ReadingRaven019 – **glad you thought so, despite its smallness :) Its good to know that Arthur accepting their help wasn't a completely outrageous thing to do, hehe :D thanks for the review! Hope you liked this one :)

**Heart of Diamond – **Thanks for another review! :D hehe will try and get the next one up sooner – but no promises, because I hate it when they get broken :( thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed it :)

**Minch – **my thoughts exactly! Either Arthur is hiding the fact that he knows – and is practically torturing Merlin by doing this – or he is a complete idiot! – which tbh does seem a little likely hehe :D That bridgekeeper scene was a total give away to both Gwaine and Arthur – surely Gwaine overheard him, he wasn't that far away! I giggle when I think of Merlin being 'strength' – is that cruel? Hehe :) You do make a fair point about Arthur not being able to remember because of the bracelet :) I just wish he would know already, hehe :D thanks! And thanks for the review! :D

**risenmitten – **partly commented at the beginning, hehe :) I agree it was a little random – couldn't completely remember how I revealed it, and I had to rewrite it because of the stupid laptop. It does have a purpose though – which I think is revealed either in the next chapter or the one after that :) thanks! Hehe, I was going to have a completely rebellious and argumentative council – but I thought Arthur could use a break after everything he's gone through in the years :D thanks for the review!

**Kat Gawdess – **thanks! Good to hear that people are still enjoying this :D thanks for reviewing :)

**Thanks again to everyone, you're all absolutely amazing! **

**Xx**


	19. Travelling Home

**Okaydokeykokey, here's another chapter for you fabulous readers. Hope you all enjoy!**

**As usual, I will admit that 'Merlin' does not belong to me – I know how obvious this is, but it has to be said. Mistakes I totally own though :( Damn, can no one else take credit for those? :D**

**Back at uni now - I'm actually happy to be going back, is that weird? :S Anyhow...lol :D Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>He had never seen such a large group of people all travelling together. Children ran around them as they continued forwards, playing games in order to keep them amused. Merlin looked around him at the people that he was with. Despite everything that had happened to these people in the past - mainly being hunted because if their powers - they appeared happy and content with the way they lived their lives.<p>

They had no real home, always moving around in order to get away from patrols of knights that would have them killed on sight, but they looked like they were still happy. He understood why when he heard the children laughing and playing. Somehow they had been shielded from all the horrors that were going on around them.

Merlin had noticed that ever since they had started traveling towards the great city, Anya had been rather quiet. She had sat on her horse in complete silence, barely acknowledging anything that happened around her. He decided to slow his horse a little so he could talk to her in private.

"Anya, are you alright?" he started, lowering his voice so she was the only one who heard him.

She turned to face him as if he has startled her, and Merlin realised that she must have been thinking very seriously about something.

"Emrys...yes, I'm fine, it's just..." she started, somehow unable to find the right words to finish.

"Just...?" Merlin asked, keeping his voice low - he could tell that whatever it was that was bothering her, it was not something that she wanted to share with many people.

She indicated with her hand to head further to the back of he group so that they had more privacy - seeing as the leaders and their closest advisors were upfront, with the children and elderly at the back. They slowly and discretely made their way to the rear of the group, and made sure that no one would overhear them.

"After Morgana arrived, when the other leaders said that they would offer their help to Camelot...do you remember what I told you about my more empathic abilities?" Anya started.

"Most of it, yeah. You said you could sometimes get a vibe of what someone was feeling..."

Anya nodded, and looked at Merlin expectedly, as if waiting for further information. He just looked at her curiously, not understanding what it was that she as trying to get across. Then he realised that she couldn't see his face because of the hood.

"Anya, what is it that's bothering you?" he finally said.

"It's one of the leaders-".

"My Lord Emrys!" called someone from the front of the travellers. Both of their heads turned to see who it was that was calling and saw Kiran galloping up towards them on his brown horse.

"Kiran, I've said before, you can call me 'Emrys'" he replied as the young man slowed down next to them. Ahead of them, he whole group had started coming to a halt, most of them unsure as to why as they were too far back from the front to know.

"Emrys, there are Camelot knights coming towards us-" at this the people around them started panicking. "We believe there are three of them".

"It's okay" Merlin called out. "They will not try to hurt us, they are here by my request". At his words the Druids that could hear clearly calmed slightly, and passed the message around so that no one else worried, or started to use magic against the knights - although that was only a threat from those belonging to the Virtus clan.

Merlin, Anya and Kiran immediately started making their way back up the group to the front where the other four leaders were holding their horses still, looking in front of them to where they could see the knights heading in their direction. Merlin held his horse by them for a moment, then informed them that he would ride up ahead to check that it was indeed the three knights that he had asked to return - he didn't want to take any chances and their faces were not that clear from that distance.

Merlin and his two companions pushed their horses forwards towards the three. Upon arrival, Merlin saw that it was indeed the three knights that Anya had trusted with her message to the Prince - Percival, Lancelot, and Gwaine. He greeted them like he hadn't seen them for days despite how it was only earlier the day before. All three had bright smiles on their faces, immediately letting Merlin know what Arthur's decision had been. He almost couldn't believe it - it was too good to be true.

"Really? He agreed?" Merlin asked, not even bothering to disguise his voice, or hide the happiness that was radiating from his tone.

"Yup, hardly needed any convincing. He seemed all up for it - figured that they could use all the help that they could get" Gwaine replied.

"Brilliant!" Merlin started. "Well, not brilliant, obviously not brilliant, they shouldn't have to need all the help he can get, but it's brilliant that he's actually willing to accept it, I mean-".

"Merlin, you're starting to sound like Gwen" Percival interrupted. "You've been hanging around with her too long she's starting to have a bad influence on you".

All three knights laughed, as Merlin shook his head and smiled fondly, thinking of his first friend. Gwen had always been there for him, she was one of the best friends she could ever ask for.

Merlin, Anya and Kiran lead the three knights back towards the rest of the group. They could see that a fair few members of the group looked wary as they saw Camelot's knights heading towards them, but the smiles on Anya and Kiran's faces as they talked with the knights reassured them that they were not there to harm them - that and Emrys was leading them.

The group took a small break as the leaders, Emrys and the knights discussed what the Prince had said. Each of the Druid leaders had great smiles upon their faces when they heard that the Prince had accepted their help - it seemed that there was a hope for the world of magic after all. They agreed that not all of the Druids should go to Camelot however. The children and the more elderly people would be unable to fight - and only some of the more elderly knew how to heal people. It was decided that some of the people would head on to the Isle of the Blessed, with some of Alwyn and James' groups going with them in case they needed to defend the Isle against Morgana and her mercenaries.

They travelled for a little while longer until it was time to split up. With wishes of a safe trip to the Isle and good luck for Camelot, they parted their ways. As Merlin's group were about to head off, James noticed that it might be better to send a leader with them, incase they needed to warn one another if a threat heading in the others direction. Thana volunteered to go with them so that they would have at least one leader with them - should the other leaders need to get into contact with them, it would be easier to use magic to contact another leader. Thana said goodbye to everyone, giving Anya a tight hug before she took off to catch up with the other group.

Along their way back to Camelot, Merlin suddenly became aware of something - how was he to pretend to be Emrys and be himself at the same time? It would simply be too much work to pretend to be Dragoon, because he would have to change. Back and forth so many times, plus Arthur might want to see them both at the same time. He made these realisations aloud to his friends, who - Lancelot - suggested that they pretend that Emrys had decided to go with the others to the Isle, and would arrive when Morgana attacked, if he were needed.

But Merlin foresaw one more problem - the rest of the Druids with them; most of them didn't know who he was. This was what led Merlin to deciding to show the Druids what he looked like. Before revealing himself, he explained why he needed them to call him 'Merlin' and not 'Emrys' - Prince Arthur was not aware of his identity, and it was easier for him to protect the prince with him still unawares.

They all swore to keep his identity a secret, and promised to remember never to call him Emrys, unless they were alone - he would've preferred them to call him by his name all the time though. The leaders who were unaware of his identity all had different reactions. Alwyn smiled knowingly, letting Merlin know that he had noticed when he'd made the little slip-up of nearly introducing himself as 'Merlin' instead of 'Emrys'. James looked surprised; surprised that Emrys was also the Prince's manservant. Despite Lael and his close friend Liam knowing who he was already they joined James in being shocked at seeing how young he was for such a great destiny. Alwyn didn't seem shocked by this at all - if anything his friendly smile widened. Merlin thought it would be best if he hid his cloak - if Morgana showed up again she would recognise it as his.

Soon, they got to tell the knights about the run-in they had had with Morgana.

"Well done, Merlin" Gwaine laughed, slapping his friend on the shoulder by way of congratulations.

"For what? Making her angry?" Merlin replied, turning to face the knight.

"Well when you put it like that..." Gwaine replied, still smiling.

"How much more angry can she get?" Percival asked, laughing nervously.

"Who knows? Best not to underestimate her though" Merlin replied, not really wanting to think about an even angrier Morgana - the thought sent a shiver up his spine.

"Well, she hasn't got any sorcerers on her side anymore has she? So it'll be harder for her to get into Camelot won't it?" Gwaine asked.

"She'll still make an attempt" Merlin relied immediately. "She won't be expecting all of these Druids to travel to Camelot and help Arthur. I suppose that's a bit of an advantage for us... She still has those mercenaries, but I don't see what help they could possibly be to her".

"I'd like to see them try" Percival laughed.

Gwaine laughed too. "They'd get halfway up the path to Camelot, see the number of druids and knights ready to fight, and run in the opposite direction with their tails between their legs".

This prompted everyone to start laughing together, even a few of the Druids that had been close enough to hear were laughing.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for the response to the last chapter – put a smile on my face every time I got an email alert with positive thoughts about it :)<strong>

**Reviews:**

**JennaMastero –** hope this was worth the wait :D thanks :)

**Minch – **I was going to do that, but I considered that it would be hard for him to keep changing and considering that Arthur is trusting Emrys because of Merlin, if they both went to Camelot he would want to see them both at the same time :S lol, I know hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

**ReadingRaven019 –** thanks :D hope this was a good one too :) same here I really hope he finds out in the next series – he has to, surely? Thanks again :D

**Bottled Sunshine –** thanks! :D I know same here, Merlin's wicked! Hehe thanks for reviewing!

**Risenmitten –** lol, I don't sign in sometimes either, so I just type my name :) thanks! Yeah, I thought I'd be nice and give Arthur a little more backup hehe, plus more proof that magic is awesome! Hehe :D thanks for the review :)

**HplcMlVr – **he is indeed! Hehe :D hope you enjoyed this one too :) thanks for the review!

**Dreamwood –** thank you :) I was hoping that people would like that about the council :D not too OOC then :D thanks! Hope you liked it :)

**Heart of Diamond –** hehe, whoo! :) thanks for the review! :D

**Thanks again to everyone I don't think I'd honestly keep going if there weren't people reviewing, or alerting etc so thanks!**

**Xx**


	20. Arriving in Camelot

**Not much happens in this chapter, but they do arrive back in Camelot :) Next chapter might be a bit more fun to write :D**

**As usual there are probably some mistakes – consequences of writing this on the ipod I'm afraid. Anywho, hope you guys enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Merlin. Enough said.**

**A question at the end I need all of you fab readers to answer - thanks in advance :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

****When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret****

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><p>Arthur had paced back and forwards for what felt like hours. He had been anxiously waiting for his knights to return the Druids - and with Merlin. He wondered what was taking them so long? He had sent the knights away ages ago; they should have reached the others not long after that - he had told them to go as fast as possible after all, and what with Morgana threatening to attack the city, they knew that the situation was that serious. What could be slowing them down?<p>

He knew that there would be more people travelling back, so that might have had an effect on how long it would take them to ride back, but it was only a few Druids - surely they had horses of their own?

Gains was sat at his table in his rooms, watching as Arthur paced backwards and forwards across the room, his footprints practically becoming imprinted in the floor. He could tell that the young prince was anxious for his men to return. He himself was definitely looking forward to seeing Merlin once more.

'_Why is it that that boy can't go one week without diving head first into some sort of trouble?_' Gaius thought to himself. Merlin just attracted this sort of thing, it was ridiculous.

"My Lord, pacing about my rooms is going to do no good. It wont hurry their arrival" he began.

"It would if they knew how irritated I am becoming. Part of me is hoping that those Druids are using their magic to see what's happening here so that they know about it, perhaps then they'll hurry back - preferably before Morgana decides to attack the city" Arthur ranted. "You hear me? Hurry up!" he exclaimed to the heavens, gesturing his arms upwards and pretending that they could hear him.

"Sire?" Gaius started, as Arthur's arms feel back to his sides.

"Sorry, Gaius. I just wish they would get here" he replied, leaning against the table Gaius was sat at. "Sounded a little mad?" he finally asked, turning his head to look at the physician.

"Just a little, Sire" Gaius said, replying with a small smile. "This whole situation seems to be affecting your mental health. First you say that Merlin has his smart moments, that you trust him with your life. Then you always say that Merlin never does anything right, yet you tell Gwaine he is when it counts. Although that may be true, I can't help but think that there's something wrong with your mental health, especially after that little speech" he smiled.

Arthur laughed a little in reply, despite that it was he that the old man was making fun of. Perhaps Gaius had been living with Merlin too long; it sounded like something that manservant of his would say.

"Speaking of mental health... How's my father?" Arthur asked - Gaius had only recently returned from his room when Arthur had entered the physician's quarters.

"Sire, I'm afraid that he's getting worse" Gaius began. "He hasn't eaten in days, and still refuses to do so. He hasn't left his bed in a long while, even when he does he only moves to his chair by the window".

Arthur thought about what the physician had said. He knew that his father's health was deteriorating. There was little that they could do to help - he knew that without having to ask Gaius. Pulling him out of his thoughts, Sir Leon and Sir Elyan came through the door, seemingly out of breath.

"Sire, we saw them. We were on the battlements, we can see the Druid group coming" Leon stared.

"Brilliant! Finally - do your think they heard me?" Arthur replied, turning to Gaius at the end, smiling at their little inside joke.

"Arthur, there is a little bit more of them than we previously thought" Elyan replied, making Arthur turn to him with a curious look on his face.

"How many more?" he replied.

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><p>Merlin walked alongside his horse, which walked slowly in-between Anya and Gwaine, with all the others following them, and talking among themselves. He could tell by looking around at them that they were all exhausted. Most of them had had to walk, as there were few horses in comparison with the number of people, so Merlin had recently given up his horse to two young teenagers who had decided to come along, a brother and younger sister, so that their feet no longer hurt them. The knights, Anya and Kiran soon followed, and by now all those who could walk had given their horses up to others who would have otherwise struggled.<p>

They were now walking through the main gate to the city. Merlin could see that the people that were following him were a little more on edge now - not that he blamed them after everything that had happened in the past twenty odd years. He saw that the city had been emptied, there was not another person of Camelot to be seen, letting him know that everyone was safe inside the castle already. He swallowed as they passed through the different parts of the great city, soon passing the tavern and Gwen's home, heading for the castle itself. It was like a ghost town.

Soon enough, they had reached the entrance to the courtyard. Merlin could see Arthur, Gaius and he his two other knighted friends making their way down the stairs. Gwen was already watching them coming towards them from the bottom of the stairs. Although he was still a distance from them, he could easily see Arthur's eyes widen as he saw how many people had come.

'_Hope that's a happy surprise, and not a 'leave and never return' surprise_' Merlin thought as the horse beside him started to slow down.

Arthur walked towards him as Merlin looked for some other reaction from the Prince.

"What have you been up to, Merlin?" Arthur gasped. "Trying to organise your own army?"

"I could never lead an army! Besides that some of these people aren't here to fight" Merlin replied, thinking of those that were only here to help heal those that became injured.

"Nah, you're right, you're too stupid to lead an army" Arthur mocked, grabbing Merlin's shoulder in a friendly embrace.

"Um, this is Anya. She leads the Amala Druids. They were the first group to offer their help" Merlin continued, bringing Anya forward to shake hands with the Prince.

"Nice to meet you, just wish it were on better terms" Arthur replied, shocking Merlin slightly with his friendly manner. "Wait, the first Druid group?"

"Yeah, of course! You didn't actually think that all these people were part of the same group did you?" Merlin laughed. "No, this is Kiran, a member of the Amala. And this is James, Lael and Alwyn" he continued, indicating each person as he said their name. "Thana is the leader of the Ventus Druids, but she went with those who were unable to fight or help to the Isle of the Blessed".

"You have been busy..." Arthur mumbled. He turned to the four Druid leaders as he continued to talk. "I will leave a few of my men here to help you and your people settle in. You have no need to be afraid of anyone hurting you here. I have talked with my council before your arrival, and they have agreed that it is time to start trying to make peace with those who have magic".

He asked some of the knights who had helped the people move into the castle to help do the same with these people – including Sir Leon - and indicated that Merlin and the four other knights should follow him. He turned to explain to Anya that he would be back once he had talked to Arthur, but she was already smiling and nodding her head, knowing what it was he was going to say.

"Merlin... How... Those people..." Arthur started.

"The end of the word is nigh: Arthur Pendragon is speechless" Merlin mocked, sparking the beginning of laughter in the five knights, one maid and the physician.

Arthur scowled, but his amusement was clear. "Not funny-".

"I thought it was very funny" Gwaine mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear, a ring if chuckles filling the room again.

Arthur scowled again, which only made them laugh more. "I'm trying to be serious, all those people... How did you convince them to help?"

"Emrys" Merlin gave, as a simple answer. At Arthur's slightly confused look he continued. "Emrys did most of the convincing".

"And where is he? This great Emrys?" Arthur asked, remembering that he hadn't been introduced to him before. "I've heard all about him from Gaius".

"You have?" Merlin started, looking at Gaius, his eyes widened - which thankfully only those who knew the secret saw. "What exactly has he be telling you?" he continued, still looking at Gaius, who looked blankly back.

"About the prophecies, how he's supposed to help me become this 'Great King'" Arthur replied, as Merlin looked back at him as he spoke. "Come on then, where is he? I'd like to thank him, since he's the one who did the convincing. Thanks to him we have less of a magical threat to face when Morgana attacks, and a possibility of peace with those who have magic" he continued, looking at Merlin for an answer.

Merlin nearly hesitated before he answered, but remembered the cover story. "He went with Thana and the others to the Isle of the Blessed. He says if he's needed when Morgana attacks, he'll return".

"If he's needed when Morgana attacks, isn't he going to be too far away for him to be if any use?" Arthur asked.

Merlin did hesitate this time, but it was covered up by Gwaine replying for him. "Ever heard of magic, Arthur?" he laughed. "One hint of trouble, and Emrys will be here within a flash".

"Well, not within a flash, obviously, he's not a show off...unlike some people" Merlin continued, looking pointedly at Gwaine as he finished. He didn't want Arthur thinking that Emrys could just 'appear'. He would need to make sure that there was a viable excuse for his own disappearance during that time - he couldn't very well pop around the corner and then walk back around two second later with a hood up!

"But why didn't he come here? I would've thought he would stay with the Druids?" he asked, looking back at Merlin.

"It's in case Morgana tries to recruit them again or if she attacks them before she gets here" Merlin explained. "He can come here quickly enough, but those that went to the Isle aren't that good at defending themselves – they're mainly younger children and the elderly - so he went with them in case they needed help before they get there".

"She already tried to attack them earlier, on their way here" Gwaine added, Merlin flinching at him letting Arthur know this.

"She attacked you?" Arthur started.

"Don't worry, Arthur. She came to see why the Druids were leaving, got angry and then Emrys dealt with her" Gwaine continued, smiling as he spoke.

"Emrys dealt with her?" Arthur asked, looking surprised. "Why is she still alive?"

"Emrys doesn't kill people, Arthur, not unless it's absolutely necessary" Merlin answered, a little irritation seeping into his voice - he hated killing, even those rabbits and deer that Arthur would hunt after.

"I suppose I should respect him for that" Arthur mumbled, surprising Merlin slightly – not that he allowed himself to show it with more than the slight raising of his eyebrows.

"Well, the people here are just as willing to help protect Camelot as Emrys is. They want to show you and everyone else who hates magic, that it can be used for better purposes than what it has been in the past. They want to show that not all of them are out to hurt people" Merlin continued, speaking for himself as well as the others.

Arthur nodded once, in understanding. "They will have that opportunity. The council have agreed to allow them shelter in Camelot while the city is under attack, and any help we can get from them would be a bonus".

"Believe me, they are all willing to help, in any way they can" Merlin replied, looking straight at the Prince so that he would know that he was telling the truth.

"I think we're going to need it. Can you imagine if they decided to go with Morgana? We wouldn't last five minutes!" Gwaine added in.

Some chuckled; some gave a horrified look of understanding. "It isn't something I really want to think about, to be honest" Elyan replied, smiling at the knight.

The door to the room they were in suddenly opened and Sir Leon walked in, breathing heavily as if he had just been running.

"Sire…your father…Gaius…" he gasped, leaning against the door he had thrown open.

Almost as a blur, Gaius was up and across the room, heading straight for the King's quarters, the Prince following him, all signs of amusement vanished from his appearance. Merlin was quick to follow them, as were the rest of the Knights of the Round Table. Arriving at Uther's rooms, Sir Leon stood away from the bed, as Gaius leaned over the edge in order to check the King's health.

From the way the King was lying in his bed, and the paleness of his face, Merlin would have sworn that he was already dead, were it not for the slow moving of the King's chest indicating that he was actually breathing. Gaius finished what he was doing, and turned to face Arthur, who was standing at the end of the bed.

"He's fading fast, my Lord" Gaius began, his face full of sympathy for the young Prince. "His breathing seems troubled, and his eyes are barely reacting to the light. I'm afraid I don't think he has long, Sire".

Arthur ran a hand through his hair when Gaius was finished.

Merlin felt sad at hearing that the King was on his death bed. Despite everything he had done in the past, he was still Arthur's father. He remembered losing his own father, when he had died in his arms, and wished he could do something to prevent Arthur from feeling that same pain.

They left the room as Arthur sat down on a chair beside his father's bed, Merlin the last to do so. With one last look at the Prince he left the room.

He started heading towards where he believed he would find Anya and the others, wanting to check that they were settling in okay, and to inform them that Arthur would probably want to talk to her and the other leaders later on – definitely not right now, or any time soon.

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><p><strong>Bit of an abrupt ending, I think :S<strong>

**Question: Kill Uther or keep him alive? Posting it on my profile page for you guys to decided – won't be revealing the answer till it comes up in the chapter, because it would spoil it otherwise, but what do you people think? Kill or keep alive?**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing, adding to favourites and alerting! You're F.A.B! :D**

**Reviews:**

**Dreamwood** – Nope, she didn't, oh well hehe :D In the next chapter Arthur will be talking to the druids a lot more, so there's something more to look forward to :D Thanks! And thanks for reviewing :D

**Sarajm** – Your welcome :) Thanks for reviewing :D hehe, will do can't remember if it's the next chapter or the one after… :) thanks again!

**ReadingRaven019** – thanks! :) no, I know, I was going to keep going and put this with it, but I hadn't finished this, so I decided to put it up alone :) hehe, indeed – silly merlin :D thanks for reviewing!

**Minch** – Hmm…your suspicions will be confirmed/denied soon :) Did I send James to the Isle? I didn't mean to, he was supposed to go to Camelot? If I've written it wrong, I'll go back and change it :D thanks for reviewing!

**Risenmitten** – hehe :) all will be revealed soon, I promise! :D thanks for reviewing!

**CleoJackson** – thanks! :D seriously – thank you, so much! :D for reviewing and for the great words! :D

**Thanks again to everyone – virtual cookies and ice cream to everyone! :D**

**Xx**


	21. Betrayer?

**Another week, another chapter. Would've had this out sooner, but Uni work has suddenly kicked up. Sorry. At least I'm managing to get this up once a week I suppose – get Thursdays off, woo hoo!**

**Hope everyone had a good weekend last week – despite that there's no more Merlin on the box – it'll be on soon, hopefully this year :D I wonder if they'll do a 6th series?**

**Mistakes are mine, 'Merlin' isn't – no duh, Sherlock. Enjoy! :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin walked aimlessly around the castle, unsure of where it was he was headed. He had intended to continue through the castle till he found Anya and Kiran, but found that his feet kept going.<p>

The king was on his deathbed.

It was something that he couldn't quite get used to. It seemed that Uther would soon be dead, and Arthur would finally be King. To be honest he was surprised that the Prince had lasted this long. Not because he didn't have faith in his sword fighting skills, but because there were that many threats against his life. Most of them magical.

Merlin soon found himself staring across the city from the top of the battlements, looking towards the forest where he knew Morgana and her mercenaries would be. He knew that it wouldn't be long before she would come, but did she honestly think that she could take on so many? There were at least twenty sorcerers prepared to fight alongside the Knights of Camelot, and another fifteen with enough power to help heal any wounds they would be likely to receive. So what was her plan?

Merlin looked away from the forest and towards the White Mountains - the tops of which could be seen just beyond the forest surrounding Camelot. He hoped that Morgana hadn't gone after them before she decided to come after Arthur. He finally decided to leave the rooftop when a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"Something tells me you come up here often" Anya said, walking towards the wall beside Merlin.

"Sometimes...when I need to think or clear my head" Merlin replied.

"I was thinking, we should probably contact Thana and the others. Let them know we've arrived, and inform them that 'Emrys' went with them to the Isle" Anya explained, turning to face Merlin.

"Good idea" Merlin said, smiling. "I wanted to double check that they had arrived safely as well" he added.

They both walked away from the wall and back down the stairs to where the other leaders of Druids were. Merlin noticed that Anya seemed tense about something. She definitely seemed anxious or nervous about something.

"I think it would be better if we didn't let Prince Arthur know what we were doing. I wouldn't want him thinking that because we've been accepted in the city, we're going to be doing magic whenever we feel like it" Anya continued, Merlin agreeing with her.

"Good idea, plus only the council seems to know up to this point that magic is going to be involved. I don't think the rest of the knights, or the people of Camelot have been informed" Merlin replied.

"Merlin" Anya started, grabbing his arm to make him come to a complete stop. "I really need to tell you something".

Merlin looked at her with concern and remembered that she had told him pretty much the same thing earlier - but had been prevented from doing so because of the knights' arrival.

"What is it? I remember you said something about one of the leaders?" Merlin encouraged, his curiosity growing.

"When the leaders declared that they would not join Morgana and that they would help us, help Arthur... One of the leaders was not being as honest as we were lead to believe" Anya explained.

"You think one of them is planning to betray us?" Merlin asked, his curiosity turning into horror.

"Or they already have" Anya added.

"Who? Which one?"

"That's just it! I don't know!" she replied, gesturing wildly with her hands, showing just how the whole situation was starting to get to her.

"You don't know?" he exclaimed, his eyebrows rising.

"The emotion was only there for a split second, I couldn't pinpoint who it was quick enough" she replied.

Merlin sighed, thinking of the other three leaders somewhere else in the castle.

"Which one do you think it could be?" Anya asked, looking at him with a worried look on her face.

"I don't know...I don't know them all that well..." Merlin replied.

"I know them better and it's still hard to decide which one could possibly have betrayed us" she agreed. "Which one would you say is most likely?"

Merlin's immediate reaction was to think of James. He didn't know why. Just that it was too crazy to think that a sweet old man like Alwyn could betray them and Lael was a close friend and old leader to Kiran - Kiran would have warned them if he was a potential threat. He settled with his response to her first question.

"I really don't know. Keep an eye on all of them until we're more certain" Merlin started to explain. "If we decided it to be one of them and it's really another, we don't want to be caught by compete surprise".

They found Alwyn and Kiran, Lael and James were helping those that had accompanied them get settled, and received a bowl that they could fill with water in order to use the spell to communicate with the others. Merlin remembered that there was a bowl left at the Isle by Nimueh, and knew that those at the Isle would have found it by now - they could use that to complete the communication. They went in search of somewhere more private to perform the spell, so that no one would know that they were using magic, and found it where the great dragon, Kilgharrah was once held prisoner - thanks to Merlin leading the way.

Anya set up the bowl on a groove in the wall that was easily reachable. Alwyn helped her to do the spell - he had more experience with this type of spell and magic. Within a moment, Merlin could see pictures starting to form on the surface of the water. Soon, he could see the faces of familiar Druids from earlier. One that stood out the most was Sara - the woman that he had scared when he had first arrived at their camp.

"Sara! I take it you and the others arrived safely? No bother getting there" Anya started, jumping forward slightly as she saw her friend.

"Yeah, no worries. We stopped a few times for the children, they were getting tired, but we still got here quicker than we thought" Sara replied, smiling back at her friend.

"We needed to contact you in case anything happens. We've had to pretend that Emrys has travelled with you so that Merlin could stop wearing that cloak you found for him" Anya explained. They all knew that there was no harm in letting her know Merlin's identity, seeing as Sara already knew him from back in the Amala Druid camp. "It would've been too hard for him to pretend to be two different people; the Prince would've wanted to see them both at some point".

Sara nodded. "Okay, that makes a lot more sense" she replied, her laughing indicating that she had been thinking about how it would be hard for him to do so. "How are things over there in Camelot?" she continued.

"Good. Prince Arthur has accepted our help, and he and his most trusted knights seem to be quite friendly" Anya replied, looking at Merlin and smiling, who smiled back. "I'm glad you lot are okay. We can't chat long; we need to get back with the others. Just tell Thana that we checked in with you".

At this, Sara looked confused. Merlin's eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, Thana. Remember? The leader of the Ventus druids?" Anya laughed.

"I thought she was with you? She never came with us, remember?" Sara replied, still looking slightly confused.

"No, but she came after you lot. We thought it would be better with at least one of the leaders coming with you. She must not have arrived yet, she was about ten minutes behind you" Anya replied, no longer laughing, but still smiling.

"We've been here for at least over an hour, Anya. Thana's not here" Sara replied, wiping the smile completely off of Anya's face.

Anya looked over to Merlin, who shared her look of concern.

"Anya…you don't think?" Merlin started.

"Thana? Don't be silly, Merlin, I've known her for years, she wouldn't betray us" Anya interrupted.

"Yeah, although I was thinking that, I was actually going to say 'you don't think that Morgana's mercenaries have gotten to her?'" Merlin replied, being honest with his words. "Which shows me you too were thinking it…you sure it's not possible for her to have…?"

"I don't know, Merlin…she doesn't seem the type…" Anya replied.

"They never do…" Merlin mumbled.

They said their goodbyes to Sara, and told her to look out for Thana in case she did show up, and to contact them the moment she turned up…if she did. Merlin knew that she wouldn't. The only thing he couldn't think of was why Thana would betray them.

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><p>Arthur walked along the corridors that lead towards the council chambers. He had sent servants out through the castle in order to find the council members, as well as the leaders of the druid groups. He had to have them all gathered in order to introduce them to one another and help assure the council members that they were no threat – and maybe reassure himself a little as well.<p>

He had left his father as he had found him. He was no better, his breathing had not improved, but at least it hadn't worsened – yet. He had to be honest with himself; he didn't believe that there was a way for Uther to get better. When Uther had been awake, he could see the defeat in his father's eyes, and knew that he had completely given up living. This was all because of Morgana. Her betrayal had utterly destroyed him. He knew it was only a matter of time before he died, he just hoped that if he did go, he could go in peace.

Arthur had sat by his father's bedside for a while, thinking about all the years he had spent with him, how it was only these last few years that he had begun to see a better side of him. He never knew how much his father really cared for him until now. Soon, he had decided that sitting by his father's bedside was not the greatest plan, what with the attack Morgana was planning. He had gotten up to get all final preparations for the attack ready, and to get to understand the druids better. Hopefully there would be a more peaceful world after this whole event, peace between Camelot and the druids. But he had to make sure that they were really there to help and not to spy on them.

The moment he had left his father's quarters, he had looked for Merlin, but couldn't find the manservant anywhere.

'Why is it whenever I need that idiot, he's never around?' Arthur had thought to himself.

He had immediately called down the next maid he saw and asked her to send others out in search of the people he needed to talk to.

He soon found himself facing the door to the main hall. The council members had already arrived, and were stood gathered one side of the table, facing away from the druid leaders, who were stood on the other side of the table, doing pretty much the same. They may be fighting the same fight, but they definitely were not going to trust each other just yet.

That was when Arthur noticed that two of the leaders were missing, as was the man called Kiran who Merlin had introduced him to. He hadn't noticed when he had first walked in because there were more than four druids there – they had obviously brought some of their most trusted advisors with them. He had realised that two were missing, as he remembered Merlin introducing him to both of them earlier.

'What were their names?' he asked himself. He remembered the woman; she was something like 'Anna' or 'Agna'. 'Anya!' he thought, as it suddenly came to him. He then remembered that the old man had been called 'Alwyn', as he remembered that they both began with the letter 'A.

He walked into the room as he heard others arrive behind him. Turning round he saw those that he had previously been thinking about.

Merlin walked in side-by-side with Anya and Kiran walking with Alwyn just behind them. Alwyn gave Arthur an encouraging smile as he passed the Prince and approached his people. Merlin stood at the side, closer to the druids than to the council. Arthur knew that in order to these people to trust one another, he would have to be the one to make the first step. So, approaching the bottom of the table and leaning against it he addressed them.

"I wanted to introduce you to each other. If we are going to fight this fight together then we may as well get to know one another" Arthur started. "Besides, if we are going to have a more peaceful future between are two people, it would be better if we actually got along".

He had absolutely no idea what else to say. Thankfully, somehow, Merlin came to his rescue.

"The druids want the chance to prove to you, and all those that live in Camelot, that they are no threat to any of you. They only use magic to harm others when they use it as self-defence" Merlin spoke. He turned to Anya as he added, "Or by accident when they are taken by surprise".

Anya smiled, thinking of how Sara had accidentally knocked him out when he had come into contact with their camp. Merlin turned back to continue and found Arthur and some of the knights looking at him with a strange look on their faces.

"Long story" Merlin offered. "They want the opportunity to prove to you that you can all live in peace with one another. There is nothing to fear from them".

Some of the council members nodded, understanding what it was Merlin was asking – he was asking for that opportunity. A couple of them smiled, having waited for this moment for a long time. They had wanted the fear of magic to dissipate for some time, but Uther's laws had prevented any of that from happening.

Merlin and Arthur shared a knowing look – it was possible. If the council were not openly arguing with the possibility of reconciliation between Camelot and magic, then it was possible that this might just work.

But somewhere, niggling in the back of Merlin's head, the thought of Thana betraying them made him think that it might just be the one thing that could destroy the trust between the two: one of the druid leaders betraying them. That was something that the council would definitely have something to say about.

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**HplcMlVr - **thanks! glad you liked the chapter :) thanks for reviewing :D

**Bluesilvermelody - **thanks! And thanks for reviewing :)

**ReadingRaven019 - **hehe, ta! i'm quite glad to have Merlin back to, things can really start happening now :D

**hblankm - **yup, it was no easy job :). Mostly done on a train hehe! hehe, thanks :D lol, loved that episode, fabulous, for every moment, especially the bald head :D you know now, hope it was worth waiting for :D thanks for reviewing :)

**risenmitten** - lol, it is indeed! :) good point, thanks! :D lol, cracked up laughing at reading the rest of your review :D thanks for reviewing :)

**asdf - **thanks! :D

**sarajm - **same here! :D good point, thanks :) and thanks for reviewing! :D

**Lozzy-heartz-Bookz - **it's good, as long as you're still enjoying it :D hehe, thanks for letting me know :D thanks for reviewing :D

**Thanks again to everyone!**

**Xx**


	22. To Be Shown The Truth

**Sorry that this is a little late. Tried to upload yesterday, but fanfiction wouldn't let me log in! :( and I had a lab report to do for university, and I totally forgot to send the document from my iPod. I know 'excuses, excuses'. But what can I say apart from 'sorry, I'll do better next time'? Anyway, here's the next chapter, this might be a bit of a curve ball to those with the suspicions about the betrayer, mwah ha ha! Hehe – couldn't resist!**

**Don't own Merlin, but I do own the plot of the story, and any OC's that get involved – and of course any of my stupid mistakes :D There probably are mistakes, wrote this whole thing on my ipod again!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin and Anya hadn't discussed anything to do with the possibility that Thana had betrayed them. A part of them didn't want to. At one point through the introduction of the Druids to the council, Lael had mentioned Thana's name when informing those who didn't know that she was the leader of another Druid group, who had decided to go with the rest of the Druids for their safety. When she had been mentioned, Arthur caught Anya sharing a look with Merlin, as if she was telling him something. This something was then shared with both Kiran and Alwyn, the latter looking anxious and the former even more so.<p>

He decided to question them - or at least Merlin - on this later. He was not the only one to have noticed it. James' eyes narrowed at he realised that something was going on unsaid between them, something that was bothering them. He too had decided to speak with at least one of them at a later time, when it would be more appropriate.

Merlin watched as the two completely different groups of people conversed with one another, as if there were never any bad blood between any of them. He knew that mentioning the possibility of their betrayal at this time would definitely not benefit them. That was what he and the other three had silently agreed upon - to not mention it until they agreed it were safe to do so. But when would that be?

His thoughts about the whole event were too distracting and Merlin found himself zoning out a few times, at times completely ignoring the things that were going on around him. Thankfully, only a small handful of people noticed - Gwaine, Lancelot, Arthur and Anya. That didn't stop him from leaving sooner than he had expected, giving a quiet 'excuse me' without actually receiving a response. Nobody would really miss a servant anyway.

He made his way back up to his room, which he knew to be empty as Gaius was a member of the council - he would still be at the introductions. And true to his beliefs, it was completely empty when he arrived. The room was surprisingly clean and tidy - Gaius had had to clean up after himself instead of getting Merlin to do it for a change. He looked through to his room, where he knew his magic book to be hidden, along with all the other magical objects he had collected over the years.

'Perhaps that staff can come in useful. I could get someone like Anya or Kiran to use it' he thought to himself.

"Whatever you're thinking about, Merlin, it had better be worth missing a pint of ale for" smiled Gwaine as he walked in the room from behind him.

"You're missing ale to be up here talking to me, I feel very special" Merlin laughed.

"You should" Gwaine replied. "But I'll always give up the ale when a friend is in need. What's bothering you, Merlin? You and that beautiful Anya girl of yours looked distracted".

"She's not 'my girl', Gwaine. And don't try to chat her up, I think someone else has already caught her attention" Merlin pointed out.

"That Kiran bloke? Thought as much, you can tell there's something between them when you see them talking to each other" Gwaine replied, when Merlin nodded to the question. "But you're avoiding answering me, Merlin. What's going on?"

Merlin hesitated. He knew that he could trust Gwaine, it was just that saying it aloud would make it real.

"We think that there's a possibility that one of the leaders has betrayed us" he explained, all in one breath.

"Wow, you don't half get straight to the point, do you Merlin?" Gwaine relied, a lot quieter than he had previously been speaking. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"Anya and I contacted the Druids that went to the Isle, it turns out that Thana never arrived. We think she went to Morgana instead" Merlin replied, sitting down at one of Gaius' desks, finding Gwaine following him and sitting on the opposite side of the desk.

"Damn..." Gwaine replied, unsure of just what to say to his friend. "What are you two going to do?"

"I'm not sure that there is anything we can do" the young warlock commented, being completely honest.

They both turned to face the door when it suddenly opened and Gaius walked in, disturbing their little talk. The old man stood there for a moment looking at the two men that sat at his table, noting the sad look on Merlin's face and the sympathetic one on Gwaine's. His suspicion about something being wrong was confirmed. He walked further into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Alright, Merlin…what's happened?" Gaius asked as he continued to walk towards the two friends. At Merlin's raised eyebrows, he explained. "You left the meeting early without actually telling Arthur why, you and Anya seem on edge about something, and Anya's been rather quiet since you left".

Merlin chuckled lightly. "You always know when something's wrong, Gaius. How do you do it?"

"I know you too well, my boy" he replied, placing a hand on the young warlock's shoulder as he reached the desk that they were sat at.

Merlin nodded slightly, but he did not explain what it was that was bothering him.

"Well?" Gaius finally asked.

"Merlin thinks that one of the leaders might have betrayed us, she may have joined Morgana" Gwaine explained, seeing that Merlin didn't particularly want to say it aloud again.

"Anya? I wouldn't have thought that possible" Gaius said. Having only met Anya and never Thana, he assumed that Anya was the woman that Gwaine was talking about, forgetting that there was another leader that wasn't present.

"No, no, not Anya. Anya tried to alert me to it, actually…. We think it might be Thana, the leader of the Ventus Druids" Merlin exclaimed, thinking the same thing – that it was impossible for Anya to be the betrayer. "She was supposed to be following the druids to the Isle of the Blessed, but she never turned up".

Before Gaius was able to reply, Gwaine spoke. "Can't you just use some of that magic of yours and locate her or something? Maybe Morgana's kidnapped her?"

"'Your magic'? Merlin doesn't have magic" Gaius replied, trying to cover for Gwaine, unknowing that he already knew the truth.

"It's okay, Gaius, he knows the truth. As does Percival now…" Merlin replied, stunning Gaius.

"And when was I going to be informed?" Gaius exclaimed, slapping Merlin on the back of the head. "You're supposed to be keeping your gift a secret not informing everyone that you come into contact with, you stupid boy".

"Gaius, it's okay, I already knew anyway, I just hadn't told Merlin that I knew" Gwaine replied, speaking over the protest of pain from Merlin. "I figured it out ages ago; I'm surprised Arthur hasn't already done that too. It's really obvious when you think about it" he added, smirking at Merlin.

"What about Percival?" Gaius asked, relaxing slightly – he knew how close friends the two of them were, and he knew that Gwaine could be trusted to keep Merlin's secret, but he didn't really know Percival that well yet.

"So you clearly know that Lancelot already knew" Gwaine said, getting a nod from Gaius. "Percival knows that Merlin isn't the type of person to betray Camelot, or Arthur. He said that knowing that if people like Merlin have magic, then it's definitely possible for magic to be a good thing, not just a threat" he continued, still smiling.

Gaius smiled and relaxed a little more. "How did you two find out anyway?"

Gwaine explained the whole event – how they had been captured by Morgana and enchanted, and then hearing Merlin giving the 'inspiring' speech to his people, and finding out that Merlin was in fact Emrys. Gaius sat down next to Merlin while Gwaine spoke.

"You could have told me earlier, Merlin" Gaius said when Gwaine had finished. "Gwaine gave me a fright".

The three of them laughed together, Gwaine and Merlin remembered the look on the physician's face when Gwaine had revealed that he knew. When the laughter had died down, Gaius got back to the matter at hand.

"What are you and Anya going to do, then?" Gaius asked, thinking about Thana.

"I don't know. I don't really know what to do" Merlin replied. "I could use magic to find Thana, but I don't really want to face the fact that she has actually betrayed us. Part of me hopes she's only been taken by Morgana, but then I really hope that that's not true, for her sake".

Gaius nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Unfortunately, I think that that might just have to be done, Merlin. You need to know if she has betrayed you or not. If she comes back here protesting that she is on our side, we won't know if she's telling the truth or not".

"Well, actually, we might, Anya's got this ability…" Merlin started, and then stopped at the look from Gaius. "Yes, I know, I'm avoiding it…. Okay, I'll try and find her. But I can't do it here. I'll need to disappear for a little bit…"

"We'll cover for you, Merlin. Just find out the truth?" Gwaine replied.

Merlin nodded. "Just do me a favour and make sure Gaius doesn't tell anyone that I'm in the tavern" Merlin smirked, dodging the swipe that Gaius tried to hit the back of his head with.

Merlin made his way out of the room, and towards the cave where Kilgharrah was once kept. It was literally the only place close enough to the castle that he could use magic without getting caught. Normally for this type of magic he would travel to the lake, but with the threat of Morgana coming ever closer, he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to wonder too far away from Camelot.

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><p>On the way down to the cave, Merlin passed Kiran, who said that he would find Anya and bring her down so that the three of them could gather together to see what was happening – if they were to get caught, they could say that Anya and Kiran were the ones using the magic.<p>

Merlin gathered the large bowl that they had used earlier and filled it with water again. Once he had placed the bowl on a makeshift pedestal, Anya and Kiran walked into the cave. Merlin asked if Anya knew a spell that would help them find Thana, but she shook her head, and he knew from the look on Kiran's face that he didn't know one either. Merlin stood and thought about the old religion and the words of magic. He was supposed to be the most powerful warlock to ever exist. A small thing like not knowing the spell was not going to step in his way. He knew the old religion and the words like the back of his hand. Thinking about the words, he felt his magic being drawn upon as he spoke.

"Ostendo mihi verum. Reperio Thana" Merlin chanted, looking deep into the water.

His eyes flashed golden as the magic took place. As imaged formed on the surface of the water, both Anya and Kiran stared in shock at Merlin. They knew that Emrys was said to be powerful, but actually seeing him with the ability to manipulate the old religion to his will – to create a spell completely improvised – was another thing. It gave them hope, with his great power it would be possible to convince people that he really was 'Emrys' and get them to follow them into peace with the Pendragons.

Looking back to the water, they saw Thana standing in the clearing that they had previously been camping in. She stood surrounded by the mercenaries that Merlin had seen earlier, and that had given their allegiance to Morgana. Then he saw the woman herself. She was standing a bit away from Thana, almost on the other side of the clearing, but was now beginning to walk towards her. That's when Merlin, Anya and Kiran realized, that the men that were standing directly behind Thana were holding her in place. It looked as if she had been forced to come there – it definitely didn't look voluntary.

"Thana, it is good to see you again" Morgana smirked, stopping near the druid leader.

"Morgana let me go. Having me here will serve you no advantage" Thana started.

"Oh I wouldn't say that. I didn't just bring you here so I could gloat" Morgana said, continuing to smirk at the captured druid. "Tell me, what exactly did this 'Emrys' tell you all that convinced you to travel to Camelot and side with those that will only slaughter you and the rest of our kind? Because that is exactly what Uther Pendragon will do? You may help them defend Camelot from us, but in the end they will turn on you and kill you all".

"I won't believe that! Emrys and Prince Arthur will lead our people into a time of peace" Thana argued, struggling against those that held her.

"You can't be serious! Arthur's just as bad as his father! He has slaughtered just as much of our kind as his father once did" Morgana exclaimed. "No matter, I will finish the both of them, and take my rightful place as Queen. This time permanently".

"You think you and your little mercenary lackeys can defeat all of the druids, not to mention Emrys? You are insane if you think we are that little of a threat".

"Oh, I won't be taking Camelot back with just this handful of mercenaries. After all, as the Prince has decided, you should fight fire with fire; therefore I will be fighting magic with magic. You think your five druid clans are all that there are in Camelot?" Morgana tested. "I have allies of my own; I was just hoping that the rest of you druids would have picked the right side before this fight started".

"Other druid clans have laid their loyalties with you? That is hard to believe, Morgana" Thana replied, a coldness in her voice that Merlin did not think possible of the friendly woman.

"Well, you should. After all one of your little druid friends that currently reside within Camelot have been helping me for a very long time. In fact they helped me find a few of my old friends, as well as some new ones" Morgana added. "I believe you have met Alvarr?"

Thana's head turned as someone new entered the clearing, being followed by a handful of, what looked like, druids. These druids had once belonged to a proper druid clan, but once Alvarr declared that he would seek revenge on Uther, those that shared the same beliefs – that Uther and his reign should be destroyed – left their clans and joined Alvarr, who then trained them for when they would one day attack Camelot. After the last encounter that Alvarr had with the knights of Camelot, when most of his men were killed, he had escaped and immediately went in search of more sorcerers that would help his cause.

"Only once" Alvarr replied for her. "And only in passing. Thana was never very talkative to me".

"That might be because you wanted to plan an attack on Camelot, the exact opposite of something a person supporting peace would do" Thana argued.

Morgana chuckled at Thana, amused at her attempts to get a rise out of them. She indicated to the men holding her in place to take her away, so that she could take to Alvarr alone.

"How is the recruiting coming along?" Morgana asked him, as if she were talking about nothing more serious than the weather.

"Rather good. Helios has managed to gather a great number of fighters, so that we're not completely relying on the sorcerers" Alvarr replied. "The men that were sent to King Odin have recently returned, and Odin has supplied us with fifty men. He has refused to send the entire army. He believes that if we were to fail he does not want the Pendragons being all that aware that he had anything to do with aiding our attack. If Camelot were to win this, their army would outnumber his, and he would fall".

Morgana nodded her understanding, but then spoke. "What makes him think that we are going to fail?" she said, smirking.

_'She's too confident_' Merlin thought.

"What else do you have planned, my Lady?" Alvarr asked, knowing from Morgana's face that she had something else up her sleeve.

"Just something my sister managed to teach me before she was brutally attacked" Morgana replied. "She taught me a very old spell that can control some of the magical creatures that roam this earth. I simply give them an order, and they will be filled with such pain, pain that will only stop when they carry out the order".

"Which magical creatures can that work on? I've only heard of such a thing, but it needs too much power for anyone of your sorcerers to do. It would kill them" Alvarr replied.

"I will do it" Morgana replied. "I have been trained for this type of thing Alvarr, I will not fail. I will become Queen of Camelot. And with Wyverns and Serkets by our side taking Camelot will be that much easier" she smirked.

He couldn't watch anymore, and slapped his hand across the surface of the water, distorting the image, removing it completely and undoing the magic. He backed away from the bowl slightly, and saw Anya and Kiran standing before him, waiting for him to say something.

He didn't know what to do. This was the reason that Morgana was still going to attack Camelot. She still had magical allies, despite the fact that the five druid clans had sided with him. King Odin had even gotten involved –Merlin remembered when he was involved with the assassin that was sent to kill Arthur. And who was this Helios person? He sounded like he would be a very powerful ally for Morgana if he were truly able to gather enough people for Morgana to form another army. At least she didn't have the Cup of Life this time around.

"Thana didn't betray us, Merlin" Anya started, realizing that he wasn't going to be the first to speak. "That means whoever it is, they are here in Camelot, amongst us".

"What are we going to do?" Kiran asked, looking between them.

"We need to tell Arthur" Merlin concluded.

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><p><strong>For those who remember Alvarr, I don't think he's going to have a huge part in this for fear of OOC-ness. Also, yes I know that Helios is actually from the fourth series, but Morgana had been allies with him for some time before the episode, so I just extended it slightly. I thought he would be a good character to add – although nothing from the episode(s) is going to get involved in this story. At least I don't think so. If it did, I would say so in case anyone thinks I'm claiming the whole thing :) Thanks for reading people!<strong>

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><p><strong>Translator: (used Latin)<strong>

**"Ostendo mihi verum. Reperio Thana" – as I said above, I used a Latin translator. It's supposed to mean "Show me the truth. Find Thana".**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**ReadingRaven019 – **thanks :) I think that this chapter is a little bit of a curve ball hehe :D sorry that this chapter's a little late, I'll try to do better next time thanks again for reviewing!

**flyaway213 – **thanks a lot! :D really glad to hear that, I really don't want this story to get boring :) thanks for reviewing!

**Heart of Diamond –** sorry it's a bit late, I'm going to try and get the next one out on time :) hope you enjoyed it!

**SightlessSeer **– thanks! :D and thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoyed it!

**cazzam –** hehe, thanks for reading it! Glad to hear that you liked their reaction to the druids :D thanks a bunch! Hope you enjoyed this one!

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing and favouriting this! And to those that alert this story, can't believe I'm still getting new people who start reading this! After 22 chapters I still have readers! WOW! Thanks to everyone!**

**Xx**


	23. Finding A Warlock

**Author's Note: It's all happening now! Not long to go till the end. I really like this chapter – I think it might surprise you a bit. Especially near the end...**

**Mistakes are mine, plot is mine, even the OC's are mine. The one thing I can say I don't own Is 'Merlin' itself :D**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin, Anya and Kiran burst into Arthur's rooms, finding not only the Prince within, but Gwen, Leon and Percival as well. When the four turned from whatever maps they were looking at on the table to look at the three that had burst into the room, they found that the three new visitors were out of breath, and had seemingly been running somewhere.<p>

"Merlin! Where on earth have you been?" Arthur started. "You're my servant, you're meant to be here when I need you, not gallivanting off somewhere else".

"Oh, look, you've learnt a new word – 'gallivanting'" Merlin mocked, hands on his waist as he finally caught his breath.

"Is this really the time?" Anya asked, starting to catch on that these two were like this all the time.

"You're right" Merlin replied, looking from the Prince to Anya, and then back to Arthur. "Arthur, Emrys got into contact with us. He's found out something about Morgana's attack" he began, thinking quickly for ideas to cover up his part in the discovery.

"Emrys got in contact with you? When? How?" Arthur started, staring between him and Anya.

"He gave me a way of contacting him, so I tried to use it in order to check that the others had reached the Isle safely. I'm sorry if my using magic within Camelot was something I should not have done" Anya replied, covering up for Merlin.

"No…magic is who you are, I'm not going to ask you to stop doing something that is a part of you" Arthur replied. "Were they? Safe, I mean?"

"Yes, they had arrived safely. But one of the leaders that we had sent after them had not arrived" Anya explained. "There is something that Merlin, Kiran and I have been suspicious of, but we didn't want to inform you until we were absolutely sure…"

"What is it?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows narrowing in interest.

Anya hesitated. Merlin could tell that she didn't want to tell Arthur. She barely knew him, and up until this point she had only known him as an enemy. Merlin started to tell him for her.

"We thought that someone within the druids had betrayed us" Merlin said, getting straight to the point.

The room fell silent. Arthur didn't look away from his servant, waiting for the man to throw him that cheeky smile he always had plastered on his face. Waiting for the laughter, for the man to tell him that it was all a big joke.

"We're not joking, Arthur" Anya said, giving Arthur the feeling that she was reading his mind.

"Arthur, for some time we started thinking that the one that betrayed us was Thana – the one that didn't turn up at the Isle" Merlin continued.

"And was it?" Leon asked, moving around the table.

"I do not believe so. I apologize again, your highness, but I had to use magic in order to locate Thana" Anya explained, covering again for Merlin. Arthur waved off her apology, he had been serious before. "When I found her, she had been captured by Morgana, and held in her camp. I managed to hear some of the conversation that they had, and managed to get some information about the attack that she has planned against Camelot".

"Well?" Percival asked, looking between Merlin and Anya.

"She's planning to use magic to force magical creatures to attack the city. Not only that, but there are some sorcerers out there that stand by her. Remember Alvarr?" Merlin asked, looking from Percival to Arthur.

Arthur thought for a moment. "The sorcerer that stole the crystal?"

"Yup, that one" Merlin replied. "He's organised some sorcerers to his side, and got them to agree to fight with Morgana".

"She's also getting some soldiers from King Odin. Not a lot, he doesn't want associated with her that much in case we win" Anya continued. "Arthur, have you ever heard of a man called 'Helios'? His name was mentioned as someone who had been gathering more troops for her cause".

"Helios…" Arthur thought. Then he remembered hearing the name, not some months ago in council. "I remember now – he's some sort of warlord. He's a brute, but he's a very talented swordsman. Are you seriously telling me that he's working for Morgana?"

"Seriously. It was definitely his name that was mentioned" Anya replied.

Arthur was silent for a moment. He had to think of some sort of strategy that would work. Soon, he asked that the leaders of the druids would be gathered together, so that they could discuss the attack – only the leaders.

"Arthur, you're forgetting. Thana wasn't the betrayer. If she isn't the one…"

"Then who is?" Arthur finished, interrupting Merlin.

'_Back at square one_' Merlin thought to himself, before sighing.

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><p>Despite the fact that one of the leaders could be betraying them, they were still gathered in the hall. They had to make it look like the betrayer hadn't been caught out. Besides, they still had to come to some sort of plan.<p>

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish that your 'Emrys' were here" Arthur said to Merlin as they stood to one side as everyone entered the room.

Merlin felt a knot in his throat thinking about how, technically, he was there - standing right next to him.

"You don't think it's possible to find him and bring him here, do you Merlin? Could Anya use her magic to get into contact with him? I would like to talk to him" Arthur asked, whispering a little more as the noise in room quietened slightly.

"Using magic to contact him would work. If you want I'll go and find him?" Merlin suggested.

"No, Merlin. It's too dangerous for you to-".

"Arthur, I know the forests around Camelot as well as the next man, probably better with all the time you've dragged me around there for hunting" Merlin interrupted. "I know where they are, not many people actually know where the Isle is. I know a quicker way to get there than most of your knights".

Arthur looked intently at his manservant.

"Morgana-".

"Won't be waiting for a servant to come out of Camelot's secret tunnels" he interrupted again, getting a look from Arthur. "All I'm saying is that no one will find it suspicious or take much heed of a servant leaving the city. A group of knights on the other hand…" Merlin argued.

Arthur had to admit that Merlin's plan made sense. That didn't mean that he liked it.

"Merlin, you had better be careful" Arthur replied.

"I'm always careful, Arthur. You know me" Merlin answered, giving his cheeriest grin.

"I definitely do. If your previous attempts of being careful are your best, then we're all doomed" Arthur mocked, but was unable to stop himself from grinning in reply. "You'd better get going, Merlin. We want Emrys here as fast as possible. I'll try and arrange a battle plan with your druid leaders".

"I'll ask Anya, Kiran and Alwyn to help you try and find out who the betrayer is" Merlin replied, looking for them among the crowd.

Arthur nodded his approval, and allowed Merlin to talk to the three privately as he addressed the rest of the room to listen. With a final nod to Arthur, Merlin left the room and headed to his room to collect a few things.

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><p>"Merlin, you must be careful. Morgana is out there somewhere, heaven's knows where!" Gaius replied, when Merlin had told him what the plan was.<p>

"I will be, Gaius. I'm not going that far anyway. There's no point, considering I am Emrys. But I need to find and speak to Kilgharrah, see if he knows a quicker way to get this fight over with – someway to stop the sorcerers siding with Morgana. I told Arthur I know a short cut to the Isle, so if I'm back sooner than I should be, he'll think that that's why" Merlin replied. "Besides, Morgana is on the other side of the forest nearer the border to Cenred's old kingdom. I'm heading in near enough the opposite direction".

"And what are you going to tell Arthur? You come back as Emrys, but where will 'Merlin' be?" Gaius questioned.

"I don't know… I'll tell him that my help was required on the Isle, a few of the children were ill, and because I live with a physician, I know a few things about medicine so I volunteered to help?"

Gaius looked incredulous. "That actually sounds like a good plan, Merlin".

"I'll try to pretend that didn't hurt" Merlin replied, thinking of how shocked Gaius was that this was his idea, but grinning all the same.

Gaius chuckled in reply. "Just be careful".

"I will, you don't have to keep telling me, I have survived this long!"

"And getting hurt now, after all that luck will spoil it, so be –"

"I know!" Merlin interrupted, heading towards the door and getting more laughter from the physician.

The physician gave the young warlock a tight hug, hoping that he would be safe for the brief time that his ward would be away. Gaius headed out with Merlin, leaving him to walk from the courtyard steps as he continued on to the King's chambers to check on him. He took one final look out a window to watch Merlin walk through the gates.

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><p>Merlin walked along the road that he had first walked along when he had first came to Camelot, he could only just see the tops of the towers of Camelot castle over the trees as he looked behind him, looking so far away from him. But he had to be far enough away from the city in order to call Kilgharrah. He really hoped that this time, just maybe the stupid dragon would have some actual advice for him instead of those ridiculous riddles that the old creature loved to dish out.<p>

_'Those are annoying!_' Merlin thought.

He soon found himself in a darker part of the forest, near to a clearing that he would use to call for Kilgharrah by. But right now he was in the middle of the forest, surrounded by a thick group of trees.

"Well, well… What do we have here?" came the cold voice Merlin had not expected to hear.

He stopped dead where he was, thinking that this was impossible. She was meant to be on the other side of the forest. He started to turn his head to the side, and saw Morgana walk out from behind one of the many trees nearly twenty feet away from him. She looked as dark as the forest with her dark clothing and hair. Merlin was glad that he had placed his pack on his back, otherwise he would have dropped it.

"Morgana. What are you doing here?" Merlin asked, trying to buy time – he didn't want his secret revealed just yet.

"What do you think?" Morgana asked, snide in her tone. "I'm taking back what is rightfully mine".

"Shouldn't you be with you mercenary friends?" Merlin asked, looking around, but finding that none of them had come with her.

"A little birdy told me that you had left the castle, sent to get Emrys. I thought I'd lend a hand" Morgana smirked.

"A little birdy? James by any chance?" Merlin asked, so sure that it was he that had betrayed them all. He had been the one to sound upset when he had informed them that his druids had decided to join him. James had been there when Anya had felt dishonestly at the joy of coming to peace with Camelot.

Morgana only laughed. "James? That fool? You've got to be kidding me! For someone who has that much power he is much too afraid to actually use it to its advantage – you think I'd work with someone like him?"

"Who then?" Merlin asked, getting irritated by Morgana's behaviour. And just who was this betrayer then?

"Me" said another voice.

Merlin turned around as he heard the voice, he knew he recognized it from somewhere, but he didn't think that this was possible. The owner of the voice had stepped out from behind her own tree as he turned and he saw her leaning up against it as she smirked at him – something Morgana had obviously started passing on to those she had working for her.

It wasn't James. It wasn't even Thana.

"Kali?" Merlin exclaimed, shocked.

It was Kali. James' daughter, and one of Anya's closest friends. He remembered then. It was not just the leaders that had been present during the decision revealing time. That had been both his and Anya's mistake. They had forgotten that the leaders had brought along other people with them – their closest advisors. No wonder she had been there – she was James' daughter after all! Had this been what James had been upset about when revealing his decision? Had he known, or at least suspected, that his own daughter had betrayed them?

"Kali…why?" was all that Merlin could say.

"Do you know what it's like to watch soldiers destroy your home? To have them burn your camp to the ground, and kill your own mother in front of your own eyes?" Kali spat, hatred in her eyes. "There will never be peace between magic and the Pendragons! There cannot be after everything that they have done!"

"You see, Kali here has experienced first-hand what Uther Pendragon is really capable of. He has modelled his son exactly like him, and if Arthur becomes King, he will carry on with his father's legacy" Morgana explained. "People like us have decided that we will not allow that to happen".

"People like you kill good, innocent people so that you can get what you want! You killed innocent people, Morgana, people you once cared for, so that you could obtain the thrown! You could've tried to talk some sense into Arthur, he would've listened to you – you're his sister!"

"Not once he would have found out that I have magic. I have watched that boy grow up to be exactly like his father, and I cannot allow him to become King" Morgana replied.

"So you would use fear and hatred and murder innocent people in order to free your own people? You're doing exactly what Uther has been doing all these years; the only difference is who is getting cast as victims!" Merlin argued, trying to make her see sense.

"Am I not a victim, Merlin? Is Kali not a victim? We are all victims of the Pendragons! We are simply ensuring that it does not happen again. With me as Queen Magic will return to Camelot and Uther's rule shall be finished!"

"You cannot rule a kingdom by using fear and hate, Morgana, It doesn't work!"

"Enough of this! I have heard enough from you! You tried to kill me once, Merlin. That was a grave mistake" Morgana finished.

Suddenly, Merlin felt the hot burning of fire as the element was thrown from Morgana's palm and into Merlin's chest. His feet were removed from the ground, and he knew when he hit the tree that was somewhere behind him. The only thing he didn't know was when he lost consciousness.

Morgana walked forwards, as Merlin lay on the forest floor. Kali walked down from her tree, and towards the witch.

"You should return to Camelot, we don't want you being missed" Morgana started, looking at Kali.

"What about him?" Kali asked, looking down at the manservant.

"Leave him to rot" Morgana replied. "He's nothing but an irritating manservant. No one will notice his disappearance for a while".

"He was sent from the castle to fetch Emrys, my Lady. They will notice when he does not return with him" Kali explained, looking back at Morgana.

"Then we'll just have to attack before they get suspicious. And without Merlin here to collect Emrys, the great warlock will never know to return" Morgana explained. "I can count on you to do the necessary acts when we arrive at Camelot?"

"Of course, my Lady. The moment you send me the signal, I will kill Arthur Pendragon" Kali replied.

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><p><strong>Ahhh! Please don't kill me! I'll try and have the next one up soon I promise! :D Hope you guys enjoyed it! A little explanation - I don't actually know if Arthur knows anything about Helious before he turned up in the episodes, I'm just pretending here! Sorry if he didn't but I had to add that bit :S :D<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**Heart of Diamond** – hehe :D hope you enjoyed this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

**ReadingRaven019** – thanks! Almost there now! Hope the traitor revealing was good :D

**chocolatecake1** – hehe, glad to hear it :D hope u liked it :D

**risenmitten** – yup yup! Hehe love twists! Loved this one too! I totally had this planned all along just didn't know how to include it until now :D not quite James, but close! Hehe :D hope I don't disappoint! Thanks for reviewing :)

**HplcMlVr** – hope the whole traitor thing was worth the wait :D haha! Thanks! And thanks for reviewing :D

**Thanks again to everyone! And to all of you favouriters from the last chapter – more than I realized! Hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter :D I do love my plot twists thought hehe :D**

**Xx**


	24. Plan in Action

**Here's another chapter – a little sooner than I thought I'd manage it so YIPPEE! Hope you guys are still enjoying this – you must be because I got a huge response to the last chapter! I was utterly blown away, that it caused my fingers to type faster :D Not as many words this time around, but it's up quicker – which do you prefer? Quicker updates or more words?**

**A little more Morgana in this chapter :D**

**Once again all and any mistakes are mine – although there really shouldn't be seeing as I actually managed to type this up on a computer for a change.**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Merlin…simple as that really :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Merlin groaned as he felt himself waking. He remembered being hit by the sheer force of Morgana's magic. It had hurt more this time than when he remembered Nimueh performing the same magic against him. But what had happened? He no longer felt the roots of the tree beneath him, and he was quite sure that he had landed somewhere on top of them - having felt them hit his back as he fell to the ground.<p>

He had been moved. Had Morgana come back for him? Had she realised that he was still alive? He started to move to see where he was when something stopped him.

"Lie still, young warlock" said a familiar voice.

"Ow..." Merlin gasped.

"Do not try to move too much, young warlock. Despite being one with the elements themselves, they can still affect you" Kilgharrah continued. "I have managed to give you an enchantment in order to help you heal quicker".

"Thank you…" Merlin managed to croak out. "What happened…? How did you find me?"

"I could feel your distress, young warlock. As a Dragonlord and as creatures of the old magic, we are connected" Kilgharrah explained. "Merlin, I should warn you of the dangerous events you have got yourself involved in. This results of the upcoming battle will determine whether or not magic will be at peace with Camelot, or forever be enemies with one another. I do not have to tell you about the importance of this".

"I know…I know" Merlin replied, trying to sit up, but having to lean against a wall which he found himself lying next to.

Then he recognized where he was. It was one of the ruins that he had once come across on the way to the Isle. The roof had crumbled into dust over time and with the effects of the harsh weather around it so that it was now just an empty shell. There were only one or two areas of the ruins that still had their roof and four walls intact. It was thanks to the roof having been destroyed that Kilgharrah had managed to bring himself as well as Merlin within the ruins, with just enough of the walls in tact in order to hide Kilgharrah from any passers-by. They'd just have to hope that none of those people tried to get inside the ruins for camp.

"I need to get back…" Merlin moaned, trying to move forward to stand up, but found he did not have enough energy to do so.

"Lie for a little longer, young warlock. The witch has not yet started her attack on Camelot, you need time to regain your strength" Kilgharrah replied, shifting his wings into a more comfortable position.

"I can't rest, Kilgharrah, I need to return to warn Arthur. The traitor…I found her…she's…she'll kill Arthur when Morgana comes to attack the city…I need to get back" Merlin replied, still leaning against the wall.

"You shall, young warlock, in time" Kilgharrah replied.

Merlin sat up properly now, having enough energy back in his arms to help push himself back up. He looked down to his chest to see black ash around the hole in his shirt where Morgana's magic had hit him.

"Not another shirt!" Merlin groaned.

"I am glad that you are able to find the funny side in all of this, young warlock" Kilgharrah commented, humour obvious in his tone ruining any lecturing the Great Dragon had tried to do.

Merlin chuckled at Kilgharrah's words, and then raised a hand to his chest as the vibrations of the laughter were felt painfully through it.

Merlin gave in trying to get up. Despite having more energy than before, all he wanted to do was to lay back down and go to sleep for a week. Healing from the attack seemed to be taking a lot out of him.

"How long do I have to wait here before I can move?" Merlin asked, desperately wanting to return to Camelot as quick as possible, but knowing that Kilgharrah would not allow it.

"Once I know that you have healed, young warlock" He replied. "You cannot enter into this battle wounded, Merlin, the fight will be over for you before it even begins".

"I think I would be able to manage" Merlin replied, knowing that it was a lie.

Kilgharrah chuckled lightly. "I know you do not really believe that, young warlock. For all your great powers, Merlin, you are still only human. You take as much time to properly heal as the next person".

"Yeah, but I have to listen to an annoying dragon for the rest of the time, which is something no one else gets the honour of" Merlin joked, referring to Kilgharrah's irritating riddles.

Kilgharrah chuckled more at Merlin's words. "You have not lost your humour it seems, young warlock".

"According to Arthur, I didn't have any to begin with" Merlin commented, prompting more laughter from the dragon.

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><p>Arthur leaned against his table, as his five closest knights and Gwen stood with him, as well as Alwyn, Anya and Kiran.<p>

They had been trying to fathom out who the betrayer was ever since Merlin had left. Just who, out of all the more powerful druids could have betrayed them? There were only a select few that the three druids could think would even have a reason to betray them.

They knew that Lael had had his men attacked by soldiers twice in the past – that in its self was an amazingly low number of times. Once of those times it was not even the knights of Camelot that attacked them, it were the soldiers of Cenred's kingdom. They had done a lot more damage than Camelot's knights had previously done – it had been them that second time that had attacked them.

Also, James had lost his wife during one of the attacks to his people. One of his druids had tried to defend himself against one of Uther's knights, the consequences of which she was killed.

"I remember Kali telling me about it" Anya explained. "She was only little, so she hardly remembers the attack, but she can remember that one second her mother was running beside her – away from the fighting – and the next she was on the ground with one the knights swords thrown in her back. One of the knights had seen them running and had attacked them".

Arthur looked to the floor, ashamed to be hearing that his father had ordered that attack. It really put things into perspective for him, hearing about the other side of the story. He had never really thought about the consequences in the long run before – that survivors might one day group together and attack the city. He had been taught by his father that those with magic deserved to die, that they were monsters.

Because of this, in the years long ago when he helped carry out these attacks, he had never thought about those he had been killing as people. But he could never remember having killed any woman. Every time he had been ordered by his father to carry out an attack, he had ordered his men to not kill the women or children. But he was too young at the time to have carried out the attack that James had lost his wife to. It would have been carried out by his father.

"Do you think James capable of betraying all of his kind?" Arthur asked, looking between the three druids.

Anya thought about it for a moment. "I am not sure. I want to say no, but when he decided that his druids would aid us in this fight, both Merlin and I knew that there was something off with the way he spoke to us".

"I have known James for a long time" Alwyn added, causing everyone to turn and face him. "I knew him back when his people were attacked. He was distraught, as one would be. He had lost his wife, his only remaining link to her was through his daughter, Kali. But Kali was obviously too young to remember what actually happened. While she and her mother were running, one of James' men was fighting one of Uther's knights. He had used magic to deflect the knights sword, but he couldn't control the magic, and the sword was misdirected at James' wife" Alwyn finished, remembering when the man had come to him for help.

"It was an accident?" Anya asked, looking slightly surprised.

"Indeed. I do not believe that James holds too much anger towards the knights. He knew that part of the fault was because of the druid. He was a new member, but had always tried to run before he could walk. He had had trouble with the smallest spells because of it, but he had tried to use a more difficult spell to protect himself" Alwyn continued to explain. "Because of this, James didn't know what to do. He wanted to blame the druid, but he was one of his men, and had been killed during the fight. He wanted to blame the knight, but he knew that his man was also to blame".

"So you don't think that James could be the traitor?" Arthur asked, taking it all in.

"I cannot be certain, but my instincts tell me that he isn't" Alwyn replied.

"That puts us back at square one – with no idea who it is" Arthur commented, sitting down at the table he had been leaning on.

"Perhaps we should talk to James, or Lael. See if they can think of anyone who would have cause to. They would know their own people better than we do" Kiran suggested.

Arthur nodded. "Good idea".

That was when Gaius entered the room, his gaze immediately finding the Prince.

"Sire, you must come at once" Gaius started.

Arthur narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Your father…".

"That was all the explanation that Arthur needed.

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><p>Morgana walked past the soldiers that Odin had sent, past the mercenaries and fighters that Helios had found, and past the tent that Thana was still being held captive inside. Alvarr and Helios stood at the edge of the clearing waiting for her return.<p>

"My Lady" Alvarr started. "I'm am glad to see you back unharmed".

"There wasn't much of a threat of me being returned otherwise. I can handle one stupid servant after all" she replied, smirking at the thought of Merlin lying dead on the forest floor.

"We have found where the Serkets have been living. It seems that they have killed off most of the Wildren in the area, and have taken one or two of their tunnels as their own" Alvarr continued, looking in the direction that the tunnels were located in.

"Excellent. Soon we shall have our own little Serket army" Morgana replied, her smile growing wider. "And the Wyverns?"

"We have managed to find and capture at least nine on our travels here" Helios started. "We have them in cages just a little way from the camp. We didn't want too many people around them in case they managed to escape".

"Even better" Morgana replied. "Lead me to them. I want to see how good this spell is" she added, referring to the spell that Morgause had managed to teach her.

Having never had the opportunity, she didn't know how well it would work. This would be the first time that she had actually used it on an actual creature.

The three of them headed off in the direction of the tunnels first, to get the Serkets. Morgana stepped a little more forward than the two men, looking down from the top of the hill as she looked into the entrance of the tunnel.

Gathering her magic, she called the words that her sister had taught her to remember.

"Adeo mihi, creatura of veneficus. Ego to order vos, operor meus bidding quod vos vadum nunquam exsisto venator. Adeo mihi, insisto mihi in pugna" she called.

As the magic took effect, the clouds darkened. It was not just magic Morgana had used, this was dark magic. The power to bind others to their will. It was something the old religion detested. The old religion never destroyed freewill – it was something to be encouraged. This dark magic destroyed it.

Soon, the creatures came out of the shadows, crawling forwards towards her. Obeying her command. Morgana smirked.

"Now for the wyverns" she said, her plan finally coming into action.

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><p><strong>I want to say thanks to everyone for the huge response to the last chapter. It really made my day!<strong>

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><p><strong>Translator:<strong>

**'Adeo mihi, creatura of veneficus. Ego to order vos, operor meus bidding quod vos vadum nunquam exsisto venator. adeo mihi , insisto mihi in pugna'.**

**used a Latin translator for this. It's not exact, but it's close:**

**'Come to me, creatures of magic. Do as I command, do my bidding and you shall never be hunted. Come to me, follow me into battle'.**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**nycorrall** – thanks! Hope you liked this one too :D

**Magic Cabbag**e – thanks a lot :D glad to hear that you're enjoying it! It's Merlin, he's always bounces right on back he he :)

**HplcMlVr** – he he, is that a good thing? Ha ha – I know, Merlin's got such bad luck when it comes to getting attacked by his enemies :D hope you liked it :D

**risenmitten** – I knew that people might start thinking it was Anya when I mentioned the 'she' bit. I was going to leave the cliff-hanger there, and let everyone think that, but I thought it was a little too cruel; you'd all probably attack me with pitchforks! Ha ha :D I know – Merlin's been knocked out so many times I think he's trying to give Arthur some competition! XD

**noreallyidontcare** – lol, I know! He's always like that in the tv show, I thought it went with the character he he! Thanks! Hope you liked this one :D

**asdf -** lol, I hope that's a good thing, he he! I just love writing twists in plots, etc – getting really bad for them in this story, but I can't help it! It's like I'm writing and suddenly get an epiphany! Lol :D thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :D

**sarajm** – thanks! I know, I didn't think anyone really would – she's not really mentioned much :) thanks for not mentioning the name in your review btw – just in case someone actually does read them before reading the story :D thanks again for reading and reviewing!

**ReadingRaven019** – thanks! :D hope that this was soon enough! With the huge response to the last chapter, I really wanted to hurry and get this one up :D thanks again for reviewing :D

**Thanks to everyone again, absolutely amazing! Cookies and ice cream to you all :D**

**Xx**


	25. Wyverns and Serkets

**Author's Note – Did this over a period of days, so I got a little lost and had to reread what I had already written :S anyway, it's all done now :D **

**Disclaimer – literally do not own 'Merlin'. If I did I would know what was going to happen in the 5****th**** series by now, and I REALLY REALLY want to know :D**

**All mistakes are mine, and the plot is totally made up by me – at one point I totally went through a chapter making it up as I went along, but the general idea was still there :D**

**I was literally in tears writing this chapter – used own experience for the first scene. Sorry if it's a little OOC, seeing as it was from my point of view.**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a**gift**horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the**situation**to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>He was dead.<p>

Arthur hadn't moved since sitting by his father's bed. He had walked into the room and immediately had went to his father's side. He could hear Uther's uneasy breathing from the door, and knew that his father had minutes left. He had taken his father's hand. He may have only imagined his father's grip tightened when he had spoken to him. He may have only imagined his father's eyes flickering open, trying to see his son one last time.

It changed nothing. Uther was no longer breathing. His laboured breathing had stilled, his hand had dropped silently from his son's, his eyes remained closed.

Arthur sat in silence, he had done for nearly half an hour now. No one had entered his father's chambers since he had arrived. At the beginning he had found himself only able to shed a few tears, not really believing that his father had actually died. But as time had passed on, the more time he had to think about it the more real it became. Even though he looked at his father, and it looked as though he was only sleeping, he knew the truth. He could see how lifeless he was, his chest no longer moving.

He knew that he would hardly have any time to grieve, that this half hour would be all that he would get until after the battle. Should he tell his men about this? Should he let them know that they were going into battle with no King alongside? Sure, he would be crowned King after the battle – if they won. But it wasn't really the same. The King had always lead the battle, lead his men into the fight, to victory.

There was a gentle knock at the door, making Arthur lift his head from where he held his father's lifeless hand in his. Although he had not spoken, the person entered quietly and gently closed the door behind her. Gwen made her way over to Arthur and stood behind him, placing her hands on his shoulder's in comfort.

Arthur lifted his free hand to one of hers, letting her know that he was grateful.

"I'm so sorry Arthur" Gwen whispered gently.

"You've nothing to be sorry for" the Prince replied, but not harshly. He knew that of all people, she would understand how he was feeling at that moment, having lost her father herself.

Gwen didn't know what else to say. That was why she had said that. What else were you supposed to say to someone who had just lost someone so important to them? There were no real words, none that could really comfort them. You could do your best to help, do little things here or there to help them deal with it easier, but she knew from experience that there were no real words that would make everything feel a lot better.

In the end, all you could really do was be there for them when they needed you most.

Arthur soon left his father's side, knowing that he was needed elsewhere. He did not have time to grieve, not with the threat of Morgana drawing nearer. There was still the matter of finding out who the traitor was. He had left his chamber before hoping that the others would continue their search, trying to find out who it was.

He finally found Anya talking quietly with Alwyn and Percival, and asked if they could follow him. They found a quiet corridor, with no one around so that they could talk. Before any of them could say anything, Arthur decided to get straight to the point.

"We need to find the traitor" Arthur said, looking at them each in turn. "Has anyone got any ideas?"

"I don't know, Arthur. You're asking me to suspect some of the people we druids are supposed to trust above all else…" Anya replied, wishing that none of this was happening.

"Think about it…when you think about someone betraying us, who's the most likely?" Arthur asked. "We can at least talk to the person in private, ask them about it, and find out why they've done this".

Anya hesitated. "My first thought would be…James. He didn't seem happy when he said that his people were going to help us. But I still can't believe that James would do such a thing".

"We will ask him to accompany us to another room; we will only talk to him. If he is the betrayer, then we will try and convince him to return to his fellow druids" Alwyn started. "If he is not the betrayer, we will tell him that we are suspecting all the leaders and that since he is not the traitor, Lael must be".

"That sounds even less likely, Alwyn. This is Lael we are talking about. His druids have rarely been attacked because they have been the most careful of us all. He always makes sure he had all the facts before acting or making a decision, he does not make them lightly" Anya commented.

"I know, my dear" Alwyn replied. "But you said you felt that someone was not with us when the leaders were gathered for the decision. Since I, Thana and you are not the traitor, it leaves either James or Lael".

Anya nodded slowly in agreement. Just because she agreed didn't mean that she liked it.

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><p>Merlin had started trying to walk, and found that – with the help of the wall he leaned against – he could just about manage it without falling over. Kilgharrah had only laughed the first time the warlock had tried, when he had immediately fallen straight towards the ground in front of him.<p>

Soon, he managed to walk without stumbling, but his head was still painful, and every time he took a step, a slight sting would vibrate through his temple. It was something he could deal with if need be, but at that present moment it was irritating him.

"I really wish I was better at healing spells…" Merlin mumbled.

"It takes a great deal more practise to be an expert at those, Merlin. They are some of the hardest spells to learn" Kilgharrah replied.

"Which explains why Morgana wanted Anya's druids to side with her so desperately" Merlin commented, looking up at the Great Dragon.

"Indeed. If she had the Amala Druids on her side, the Witch would most definitely be able to win this battle, Merlin" the dragon replied. "But without them, Camelot have more of a fighting chance".

"We've taken on Morgana before and won, Kilgharrah" Merlin said, thinking of the last time she had attacked Camelot.

"Yes, but this time she will have learned from her mistakes" Kilgharrah argued. "She will have a better way of attacking Camelot. She will not have made her attacks easy to overthrow. Merlin you must promise me that you will not underestimate the Lady Morgana".

"She's not exactly a 'Lady' anymore, is she?" Merlin replied. "I promise I won't underestimate her, Kilgharrah" he added, when seeing the look the dragon was giving him.

"This whole thing would be a lot easier if we knew what she was planning. I mean I know that she has soldiers from Odin, and mercenaries – which admittedly shouldn't be that hard to take care of" Merlin continued, thinking of the knights that Arthur had trained. "But what if she doesn't attack like we expect her too? She knows the castle, she could be trying to sneak in the men by causing a distraction at the front of the castle".

"I'm glad to see that you are actually thinking about this, Merlin" Kilgharrah commented. "Do you know what else the Witch has up her sleeve? Something she could use as a distraction?"

"Yeah…she said that she had some sort of old magic, something Morgause had managed to teach her. She said it could control magical creatures – Wyverns and Serkets" Merlin explained.

"Dark magic!" Kilgharrah growled. "That is magic of the darkest kind, Merlin! To take away a being's freewill is something the old religion had banned since the beginning of magic. It is too dangerous and powerful to deal with. If the being that was under the spell were to be harmed or killed it weakened the caster of the spell, and the spell was so powerful sometimes the caster would become too weak to undo it. It was decided that magic like that should never be used, only those that did not respect life would it".

"Well, lucky for us Morgana is unaware that Emrys is a Dragonlord" Merlin replied, smiling slightly. "So perhaps her attacks will be easier to overthrow than we thought?"

Merlin grinned as the dragon scoffed.

"That takes care of the Wyverns, but what of the Serkets?"

"You will have to find a way to break the magic Morgana has used, Merlin" Kilgharrah explained. "There are only two ways to do that. Either you are powerful enough to use a spell to overcome the magic, or you must kill the source of the magic".

"Do you think I'm powerful enough to overcome magic like that?" Merlin asked, looking straight into the dragon's eyes, hoping for a straight-forward and honest answer.

"I do not know, Merlin" he replied, truthfully. "Only you will know when the time comes whether or not you are strong enough".

Merlin looked down at the ground. At that precise moment, he knew that if he had to do the spell he would be unable to. He was still too weak from Morgana's attack.

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><p>Morgana smirked as the Wyverns moved slowly towards her. She raised her head as they approached her, as if she were looking down on them. The creatures before her, as one, lowered their heads, showing their respect to her – the one who now controlled them.<p>

She had expected the magic to work, but certainly not this well. She had never used it before, after all. She had expected the magic only to work with a few of the creatures, and only slightly affecting others. But she now had control of every one of the creatures that Helios had managed to capture. She had her very own army of magical creatures. Now she could attack from the sky as well as the ground. She would have the advantage. The druids that had betrayed her would not be able to defend themselves for long against these creatures - maybe if there were not so many of them, but she had a whole nest of Serkets, and at least a dozen Wyverns. They could not easily defend themselves against Wyverns from the sky, and both soldiers and Serkets from the ground. And without Merlin finding Emrys in time, they would not even have their protector to help them. Their betrayal of her would be in vain.

She turned to face Helios and Alvarr, who watched in both amazement and shock. She walked passed them and back to the clearing with the Wyverns following her. As she entered the clearing, she saw the Serkets had gathered together, taking up most of the clearing itself. As for the men, they had grouped together as far away from the creatures as possible. They were obviously still very uneasy about being this close to something they had long ago learned to be wary of – especially if that something could kill you with a single move. Even some of the weaker sorcerers looked cautious – those who were more powerful were less worried, but she could tell that they were all still afraid.

She smirked as she looked around at the warriors she had collected. She knew that her sister would be proud of her.

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><p>"I saw Morgana, James" Anya explained, as the man in question paced back and forth across the room.<p>

Arthur stood by the door, watching the scene before him. He knew that Anya and Alwyn would know James better than him, and if anyone was going to get the truth out of him it would be one of them. Gwaine and Percival sat at the table that was on the other side of the room nearest the window. The other knights had wished to be present, but Alwyn was fearful that James might feel like he were being cornered.

"She said that there was a traitor here in Camelot. It couldn't be Thana because she has been taken by the Witch. It's not me, it's not Alwyn. That leaves you and Lael" Anya continued. "We just want to find the truth. I'm sorry James, but we had to ask. If it were you, we just want to know why…".

"It's not me, I swear Anya…" James started, continuing to pace, thinking about some way that he might be able to prove that he were speaking the truth. "What if I swore it? In the old religion? I would not be able to swear that I was telling the truth in the old religion if I were lying to you?"

Anya and Alwyn looked at each other.

_'That might work…'_ Anya thought to herself, knowing that Alwyn was thinking the same thing. She turned to face Arthur, about to ask for permission to use magic right there and then – the quicker they got this over with the better.

"You don't need to ask, Anya. If using magic will tell us if he is telling us the truth or not, then do it. We need to know, and before Morgana attacks" Arthur said, stopping Anya before she could say a word.

She smiled her thanks to the Prince, and turned back to face James. Anya moved slightly forward, ready to cast the spell herself.

"Permissum suus lacuna narro nusquam tamen verum" she said, her eyes turning the familiar bright shade of gold.

James felt the magic course though him, and stood a little straighter. Anya nodded as she watched him prepare himself to speak.

"I swear by the old religion that I am not the one who has betrayed you" James said, his eyes flashing gold as the magic took effect.

Other than that, which was expected, there was no reaction. Anya knew that he was telling the truth. She let the magic go, releasing James from the spell, and backed away again.

"It isn't him" Anya said aloud to the room.

"Then who is it?" Gwaine said, obviously annoyed.

Anya shook her head. "If it isn't James, then it has to be Lael" she said, regretfully. "There's just one thing, James. When you revealed your decision to stand beside those of Camelot, you were not happy. Something had angered you. That was what originally had me thinking that you were more likely to be the spy".

"You're right, I was angry" James replied. "When…Emrys spoke to us, trying to convince us that peace with Camelot was better than fighting, I believed him at once" he continued, almost slipping up and saying 'Merlin'. "I had spoken to him previously, and I saw how tormented he was about the blood that would be spilt, and already had been spilt because of the Witch. I saw no other option than to side with Emrys and Camelot".

"I take it then that not everyone in your group believed that that was the best idea?" Alwyn asked.

"No, not everyone did. At first everyone seemed up for it, to come here, to Camelot. And then when one person asked if it were really the right thing to do, doubts were created in other people's minds. Some were afraid of Morgana's power" James replied. "We druids believe in increasing our power in all aspects of magic, that is what makes us so good at defending ourselves. Because of this, and the great power that Morgana possesses, some might see it as more beneficial to side with her, and learn more from her. But then it was realized that the same, if not better, could be accomplished by studying under Emrys. He has been foretold to be the most powerful warlock ever to exist; we would benefit more from his teachings".

"So all doubts were erased?" Anya asked, the tenseness in her shoulders dissolving slightly.

"I believe so, yes" James replied.

"James - who was it that first mentioned their doubts about the decision?" Arthur asked.

Somewhere in the back of the Prince's mind, he could see that creating doubts in other people's head was the precise sort of thing a traitor would do. Who was this person that had tried to prevent the peace between the Virtus Druids and Camelot? Anya looked from James to Arthur and realized the same thing that he was thinking.

"That was what had made me so angry…"James replied. "It was Kali".

Anya stood shocked. "Kali…?"

It made sense. All of it suddenly made sense. With Lael or James as the traitor, there was no real motive, but for Kali…. Anya knew that Kali was only little when she had lost her mother, but she had lost her in such a brutal way. It even fitted with her empathy power telling her that something was off! Kali was there when the decision was being made. They had totally forgotten that it was not just the druid leaders that were there, there had actually been other people there as well.

And Kali had been one of them.

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><p><strong>Thanks to everyone for responding to the last chapter. Hope that you enjoyed this one :D It's getting close now – can't believe it's nearly over!<strong>

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><p><strong>Translator:<strong>

'**Permissum suus lacuna narro nusquam tamen verum'**** – **used Latin translator**.** Means**  
>'<strong>**Let his words speak nothing but the truth'.**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**flyaway213 – **thanks! :D it's so great to hear that you love it so much! And thanks for reviewing :)

**asdf – **thanks a lot! :D you're welcome, he he :D hope you enjoyed it as much as you did the last!

**ReadingRaven019 – **I know, he he, I just wanted to put it up – it was that or wait until I could add it on this as one huge chapter :D hope you liked it :D

**nycorrall – **he he, you had me worried there XD thanks a lot! And thanks for reviewing :D

**Niyin – **thanks! Glad to hear that you enjoy it so much :) lol I get obsessed with using '…', especially when I'm typing really fast (I don't think much about stuff like that :S) haven't had a proper chance to look back at it yet, but if I do, I'll see if I can sort it out a little :D is there another word/term for 'carried out' :S lol anyway, I do see your point, sounds too repetitive :) thanks for letting me know :D don't worry these chapters shouldn't get that short, I aim for a certain amount and don't post it until I get that or more :D Only had to do post less than that once, thank heaven! Thanks for reviewing! :D

**sarajm – **you're welcome :D they are indeed! Hope you liked this chap! Thanks for reviewing :D

**risenmitten – **Yup, yup! Glad to hear you're looking forward to it :D You did indeed get to find out :) had to kill him off I'm afraid, there were no other options. Don't really feel that sad to be honest :S Is that mean? Anyway, thanks for reviewing :D

**Heart of Diamond – **thanks! It's good to hear that you still enjoy this :P and thanks for reviewing :D

**Thanks again to everyone for the response to the last chapter!**

**Xx**


	26. Plans About The Attack

**Sorry about how long this has taken. Uni's building up – had two exams and three assessments in past week! Anyway, it's up now so I hope you guys haven't totally dismissed this story because of the lack of chapters being posted.**

**I know it's smaller than the other chapters, but it was this or nothing for another few days - had a bad case of writers block as well was not helping. Grrr, I wish I could outlaw such a thing! Then everyone would be as happy as a clam (believe it or not that actually is a saying/idiom type thing!)**

**I do not own 'Merlin', unless you count the DVDs, but I think quite a lot of people can lay claim to that :S All mistakes are obviously mine, except I am a frequent user of this little thing called 'spell check', so any problems, you'd be better phoning up Microsoft and making a formal complaint with them :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>"I take it then that not everyone in your group believed that that was the best idea?" Alwyn's voice asked.<p>

Kali was standing outside the door to Prince Arthur's chambers. She had made it back to Camelot in time to prevent anyone from noticing her absence, and had been helping to organise the beds in the medical ward before she had seen her father being taken away by Anya and Alwyn. She knew when they asked him if they could talk to him that something was up. It wasn't obvious to everyone that was around them, but when you're betraying the people around you, you tend to notice things more. So she had followed them and hid outside the room that they were in, listening to every word that was said. Then she heard the Prince ask a question that she knew was going to get her caught out.

"James - who was it that first mentioned their doubts about the decision?" Arthur's voice asked.

"That was what had made me so angry…"James replied. "It was Kali".

Anya stood shocked. "Kali…?"

She turned and walked out of the corridor, out of the castle and out of the city. Her secret was out. They knew now that she was the one who was helping Morgana, there was no way they would question it. It was only a matter of time before they cornered her and questioned her about what she was doing, and she would be no use to Morgana within a jail cell. She had decided to leave and make her way to the Witch. She knew that Morgana would not be happy about this – after all she was supposed to be the one that would kill Arthur Pendragon. And she was right. The moment she turned up in Morgana's camp, she had stormed over to her and asked her why she was there.

"They know that I'm helping you, my Lady," Kali explained. "I had to leave, or I would not have been able to help you".

"How are we supposed to kill Arthur if you are here, Kali? I needed someone on the inside!" Morgana shouted.

"I'll go in with the soldiers," Kali explained. "You have told me your plan, my Lady, and they will never suspect it: sending the Wyverns and Serkets in at the front, and then the soldiers in through the back passages while they are distracted. Your sorcerers will follow the creatures in, and they will help to defeat the Knights of Camelot. If I go in with the soldiers, when we are unexpected, I can easily get into the castle and find the Prince. No one will notice me".

Morgana thought about Kali's plan and she had to admit, it sounded reasonable. "I suppose that's not a bad idea," she confessed. "Very well. You had better hope that this works".

Kali nodded her head as Morgana pushed past her to talk to the soldiers – informing them that they were to help her get in. Then she turned to address everyone before her. It was time to fight back against Camelot. It was time to start the fight to end all their problems.

"It's time for magic to take back what it deserves" Morgana said, her smirk showing once more, with her head held high.

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><p>They had started searching for Kali, but were unable to find her anywhere. The druids that they had asked had not seen her in a while, some of them had even been wondering where she was. They knew that she had left when no one had seen her – none of the druids or any of the Knights that knew who she was.<p>

"She's gone to Morgana. She must have figured out that we know about her" Gwaine said, something that none of them were really wanting to said, although every one of them were definitely thinking it.

"I can't believe that Kali would do such a thing" James said, although he knew it to be true.

"Considering her memory of what happened to her mother….If she knew the truth about what happened that day she wouldn't be doing this," Anya started. "Did she never ask about what happened? Did you two never talk about it?"

"No, it wasn't something I really wanted to talk about," James replied. "I think she knew that and just never asked about it. I need to tell her what happened. Perhaps she'll be there when Morgana makes her move".

"Perhaps, but don't expect to get close if she's near Morgana" Arthur replied, knowing that he would be dead by Morgana's hand before he could manage it.

"If I see an opening, I'll take it, "James continued. "She's my daughter. I can't let her do this".

"Arthur!" cried out a voice from the other end of the corridor. They all turned to see Gwen running towards them.

"Arthur, they're coming," Gwen continued as she stopped beside them. "Leon saw them from the top of the battlements. They came over one of the hills towards Cenred's kingdom, they'll be here within a few hours".

"Damn it! Merlin hasn't returned with Emrys yet?" Arthur asked.

"No, he hasn't. You don't think something's happened, do you? He should have been here by now" Gwen answered, worried about Merlin.

"I don't know….Anya, could you get into contact with Emrys? We need to know if Merlin made it to him in time" Arthur asked, turning to look at the druid.

"I'll try" Anya replied, walking away, towards the cave where she knew the bowl to be.

"Gwaine, Percival I need you to go join the others. Tell Leon, Lancelot and Elyan to get the Knights ready near the front gate," Arthur continued, turning to face his knights. As they hurried off he turned back to face Gwen. "You'd better head back to Gaius" he added.

She nodded. "Be safe, Arthur", she gave a kiss to his cheek before turning back the way she came and towards where the physician had set up the medical room. Arthur looked out the window as he thought about all that was happening.

"Where are you, Merlin?" he wondered, before walking down the stairs that lead to the courtyard.

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><p>Merlin looked into the pool of water that had collected under one of the windows in a wall that was still standing. Anya had told him that they knew about Kali, but that they couldn't find her.<p>

"If she knows that you know about her she'll definitely have returned to Morgana," Merlin explained. "She already knows where Morgana's camp is, she was with her when I saw her earlier".

"You saw her? What happened?" Anya replied.

"It's nothing, I'm fine" Merlin replied. At Anya's look he knew she wasn't going to let it go. "Okay, fine, but don't tell Gaius, I'll never hear the end of it".

"Promise".

"I ran into Morgana in the woods" Merlin started. "Kali was there, Morgana used magic on me in order to kill me, and she left me for dead. Using an element to kill Emrys won't work apparently. She tried to use fire" he added, at seeing Anya's curiosity.

"So it's definitely Kali that's betrayed us…" Anya replied. "I was hoping that there was some big misunderstanding".

"Sorry…," Merlin started. "She said something about soldiers destroying her home…her mother was killed".

"Yeah, James told us that that might be the reason that she's doing this, except she's got it all wrong" Anya replied. "She's going about believing that one of Camelot's knights killed her mother, which actually isn't true".

"It's not?" Merlin asked, curious.

"No, according to Alwyn, James came to him and told him what really happened. One of the sorcerer's in James' group used magic to defend themselves from one of the Knights, and he lost control of the magic. He accidentally sent the sword into her mother's back. Kali was too young to remember what really happened, so she's grown up never knowing what actually happened" Anya explained.

"Wow, no wonder she's fighting for Morgana. There has to be a way to stop her doing this-" Merlin started.

"James said that if he finds her he'll convince her. He's got the best shot considering he's her father, but Arthur doesn't think he'll get close enough what with Morgana being there" Anya interrupted. "Speaking of which, you need to get here quick, Merlin. Morgana's moving out, Leon saw the group coming over the forest –".

"Already?" Merlin wondered, and then it hit him. "She knows that Emrys has been contacted, and she thinks that I've been taken care of. If I were out of the way then it would delay Emrys getting there, because I'm supposed to be bringing him back to Camelot. She's hoping that by the time that Emrys realizes and comes to Camelot on his own, she'll have defeated Arthur and taken Camelot".

"You need to get here, Merlin-" Anya replied.

"I'll do my best…. In fact I think I'll get there in perfect time…" Merlin said, looking up from the water at the dragon that sat before him.

Kilgharrah realized what it was that Merlin was getting at and shook his head in amusement.

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><p><strong>I know it's tiny but if I don't get this up it's going to be ages before I do because I don't really know how to continue it – I know what I want to write, just not how to write it :S <strong>

**Anyone got any good ideas for a title for this chapter? I'm out. I'll give credit to the person who comes up with the one I pick :D**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**nycorrall – **thanks! I know this was small but I hope you still enjoyed it :)

**ReadingRaven019 – **ta! Hehe, I hoped that that would go down well :) hope that this was okay and thanks for reviewing!

**sarajm – **woop woop! Indeed they do :) thanks! And thanks for reviewing :D

**Namikaze Artemis – **thanks for reviewing, glad you like it despite the annoying stuff :) hope this was a little bit better :)

**DeaththeKidKat – **hope this was good enough, I plan to have the next one up Monday at the latest :)

**Cupcakemaster99 – **glad to hear it :D wow! Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too – despite its tininess :)

**Thanks to everyone again, and for your patience for this chapter. Should hopefully have the next one up Monday at the latest – UK time btw :D**

**Xx**


	27. Better Late Than Never

**Here's the next one then :)**

**As usual, I do not own 'Merlin', the only thing on this page that I completely and totally own is the story, I just borrow the characters for my own amusement.**

**This one is definitely longer than the last – it's all happening in this chap! And as usual all spells are translated at the bottom of the page for those who want to know :)**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Arthur stood on top of the battlements with his men lined up from one end to the other. The night sky had fallen long ago, and now they could see the enemy approaching with their lit torches as a beacon. He could see that Anya had indeed been telling the truth when she said that Morgana was intending to use magical creatures as part of her attack. He could see the scorpion like creatures – what had Gaius called them? Serkets? – up at the front, and knew that she intended to send in these creatures first. He hoped that the druids knew some way that would help to defend the city from the beasts.<p>

At that moment, most of the druids remained within the courtyard, the Knights ahead of them. Some of the druids from Virtis had come up to the battlements with Arthur and the Knights. Turning to one of them, he asked him to quickly send a message to the other druids and Knights so that they would be prepared. Seeing the man send a small white ball of lights down the other side of the battlements and towards the courtyard made him realize just how useful magic could be in these sort of situations. It meant that everyone could be in constant contact, protecting the city so much better than they previously could. Sending a person to run down to the others would usually take too much time and by the time they had made it down, the danger had already arrived.

He gave the man a nod as he turned to look at the Prince, wondering at his reaction to magic being used so openly. Arthur's men relaxed somewhat at seeing Arthur being able to fight alongside magic. It meant that they could trust these people too, if Arthur believed that they would not harm them. After all, if they wanted to they would have the obvious advantage of already being inside Camelot. This obviously had still originally worried Arthur, but he trusted Anya and the other leaders thanks to Merlin, and he knew that if the leaders had had any doubts about any of the druids that had remained they would have said so – after all they already had about Kali.

Looking down at the enemy before him, he could make out Morgana on horseback beside two others at the forest's edge. He could see the lit torches going back further into the trees, and knew that there were more sorcerers and soldiers behind her. The front gates of Camelot were locked shut to prevent the creatures from entering the city, but he knew that with her magic, Morgana would soon have it open. Although, perhaps with the magic from his side of this fight he could make it a little bit harder for her to do so.

All of the enemy before him has stopped, but after a few seconds, the creatures started moving forwards on their own, without the soldiers or sorcerers. This confirmed that the Serkets were definitely under Morgana's control. According to Anya, there was no spell known to any of the druids that could break the spell that Morgana had cast and the only way to defend themselves against these creatures would be to actually attack them. He had been hoping that there would be some sort of spell that would turn the creatures around and scatter – if not attack their enemy instead.

"Aim!" he shouted, commanding the Knights to ready their bows, setting them alight. "Hold!" he continued, waiting till the creatures were a little closer. They continued to crawl their way towards the city walls. "Hold!" he repeated, sensing that some of the men wanted to fire now.

"FIRE!" He yelled, releasing his own fiery arrow amongst the many.

As the arrows got nearer the Serkets, he waited to see the result. Then, as one, the druids around them called out at the arrows.

"Ácwele!" they cried.

The fire from the arrows grew in intensity as they continued on their path. Finally hitting the Serkets, a few cried out in pain. Some of the arrows had managed to lodge themselves into the beasts' stingers, some stuck into the pincers and legs, and some just bounced right off.

"Take aim!" Arthur repeated, wanting to try one more time.

The results were much the same. A few that had previously been attacked and had been hit again, started swinging their stinger around in pain, knocking a few of the ones around them out of the way. A few more were hit by the chaos, but the stingers of the other Serkets couldn't penetrate the outer shell of those around them.

Arthur turned to the druids that stood beside them. Two of the leaders stood beside him – Lael and James.

"Is there any way to push them back?" Arthur asked.

"There might be, but not all of the druids are powerful enough to cast the spell – but we'll try" James called out.

"Awendaþ eft wansæliga neat!" Lael, who was closest to him called out, after a moment's thought, then the rest of the druids copied him, only some of them managing to cast the spell.

As the spell was cast, he could see more of the Serkets being thrown back, away from the walls. But it didn't do much good. Once they had regained their footing, they continued forwards towards the gate again.

"Alright, you and the rest of the druids keep trying to fight back the Serkets," Arthur started, turning to Lael. "I'll leave some of the knights here to continue firing arrows".

"I'll tell the druids who cannot cast the spell to use their magic on the arrows, we might be able to break through the Serkets' shell" Lael replied.

"Alright, I'm going to go down to the courtyard to-" Arthur started to reply, but stopped when he heard a familiar noise.

Looking to the sky, his hope that the Serkets were the only creatures Morgana had managed to enchant disappeared. The people around him looked up to the sky as the noise grew louder. The Wyverns were coming through the clouds, flying low enough to be seen – low enough to be shot?

The knights raised their bows, taking aim at the new target. Once more, the druids helped to boost them with the magic that they could provide. As soon as one arrow got close to the creatures, dark blue fire disintegrated the wooden missiles and turned to dust in the air. Arthur looked down to where Morgana and her soldiers laid in wait, and saw that the sorcerers had used their own magic to prevent them from taking down the Wyverns.

There was no way that they would be able to take out the Wyverns and handle the sorcerers at the same time.

Through James' orders, the druids started using their magic to both enhance the arrows and prevent the enemy sorcerers from defending the creatures. As they did so, Arthur noticed that the Serkets had reached the gate, and were proceeding to attack the door with their stingers – like they were wielding an axe. Inch by inch, they would manage to break through the door.

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><p>Morgana smirked as the creatures moved forwards to make their attack. The Serkets had successfully managed to distract Arthur and his men, so that she could send the Wyverns into the sky without being noticed. This was almost too easy. She had ordered the soldiers to split up – some of them were with her, but most of them had been sent around the back towards the secret entrances into the castle and grounds. She would send a message to Kali when it was time for them to make their move.<p>

She saw the fiery arrows being sent towards the scorpion-like creatures, and smirked – there was no way that the arrows could make it through their shells. Then she saw the sudden burst of fire from the tips of the wood and knew that magic had been used. Arthur really was using magic in this.

'_Hypocrite' _Morgana thought to herself. She knew that the moment that if Arthur did win this fight, Arthur would throw the druids aside like dirt – like Uther once had. The druids were fools. But that didn't matter. There was no way that Arthur could win, and soon she would have her crown back, as rightfully deserved.

She sent in the Wyverns and saw the Knights on the battlements start to take aim at them instead – as the more obvious threat.

"Make sure they don't harm them" Morgana ordered, turning to Alvarr, who sat on another horse beside her.

Alvarr turned to face the group of sorcerers and ordered them to protect the Wyverns with their magic. Morgana saw that while distracted with the Wyverns, the Serkets had managed to get to the gate that lead to the lower part of the city. She commanded them to break through, and was pleased to see that they immediately started trying to break through the wood using their stingers and pincers. Soon they would have the gate open, leaving it clear for her sorcerers to break through. And with the soldiers coming in from the other side, the Knights of Camelot would be cornered.

"I think our Serket friends could use some help, don't you?" Morgana asked, looking back at Alvarr, with another smirk on her face.

"I agree, my Lady" Alvarr grinned back.

With the other sorcerer's help, Alvarr raised his hand in the direction of the castle gate.

"Tospringe!" he cried out, the other sorcerers copying his words.

However, despite all the sorcerers casting the spell, it only damaged the gate instead of opening it, wiping the smirk off Morgana's face. The druids inside the castle had managed to reinforce the wood of the gate with their own magic, but if the enemy kept it up, they would eventually break through.

"Keep trying, once the gate is open, we'll send in Kali and the others," Morgana ordered.

"My Lady, why not send them in now?" Alvarr asked. "It would take some of their attention away from the gate and then we could break through much easier".

"Because we'd get through, but we wouldn't defeat them," Morgana replied, rolling her eyes slightly at the irritation of being questioned. "If we send them in at the same time that the Serkets break through, they will be overwhelmed by enemies".

Helios smiled at her logic, and knew that Alvarr should know better than to question Morgana's plans.

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><p>Arthur had ran down to the courtyard to ask the druids to reinforce the gate into Camelot with magic, and so far it was working. But he could hear the Serkets still trying to break through, as well as the magic that the enemy sorcerers were using. He knew that it was only a matter of time before they broke through.<p>

Running back through the courtyard, he found Leon and Elyan leading the Knights as they shot more arrows into the sky when the Wyverns swooped down towards them. They had started to form a huge ring, some Knights holding shield to protect themselves and others as the Wyverns attacked with their sharp claws. Others were aiming the arrows at the creatures, while the druids were in the centre of the circle using their magic to enhance the arrows, trying to take the creatures down.

It was easier said than done – the enemy sorcerers were still managing to use magic to defend the beasts. Arthur knew that if they were going to stop the attack they had to either stop the sorcerers (seeing that stopping the creatures was not working).

"Lael! James! Kiran!" he shouted, calling out to the druids who were still on the battlements. "Is there a way to take out Morgana's sorcerers? We can't defend ourselves against the Wyverns for much longer, and the Serkets will break through!"

"My druids are trained more in the offensive than defensive," James started. "I'll gather my men and tell them to aim only at the sorcerers".

"My men will continue to help your Knights, Arthur," Lael continued. "They are better at defence than anything else".

Arthur nodded his agreement and started heading towards Gwaine, Percival and Lancelot – who were left in charge of the battlements when Arthur had left to help at the gate.

"I need to go find Anya. I want to know what's taking Merlin so long with getting Emrys here" Arthur said, waiting for the men to acknowledge his words.

The three men looked at one another, and then continued to nod at their Prince. Arthur looked confused for a moment, wondering why they had looked at each other, but he didn't have time to find out. He needed to know where this great Warlock was, and why he seemed to be taking his time with getting there.

Once Arthur had left, the three knights turned to one another.

"What is taking Merlin so long?" Gwaine asked, as he shot off another blazing arrow.

"I hope Morgana didn't get to him already," Percival replied. "You know Merlin; he would never miss this much excitement".

Lancelot and Gwaine agreed.

Arthur ran through the corridors, heading towards the medical ward. Entering, he found that the Wyverns had already laid claim to several victims – thankfully there had been no fatalities yet. He gave himself a moment to watch as one of the druids healed the Knight nearest to him, and within a second of being healed, the Knight had jumped up from the table he was sitting on and had ran back outside to join back in the battle.

Arthur watched him running out in surprise – magic was becoming a much better ally than he had ever thought possible. Then he continued to look around for Anya. He found her attending to another Knight.

"Anya!" he called out as he came nearer. The man she was helping got up and, like the previous Knight, walked out of the hall to join his fellow Knights in the fight. "Anya, what's happening with Merlin and Emrys? The Serkets are nearly breaking through, we could use his help right about now".

"I managed to get into contact with them," Anya started. "Morgana ran into Merlin on the way to the Isle to get Emrys – don't worry Arthur, Merlin's fine, he's completely unharmed, Emrys got to him in time" she added, seeing Arthur's eyes widening. "Emrys had already been heading here, he found Merlin and got him away from her before she came after him. Morgana thinks that Emrys is still at the Isle and that Merlin's out of the picture".

"Then where are they?" Arthur asked.

"Emrys is coming," She replied. "Merlin is staying back there. Emrys will be coming as soon as possible, but it's impossible to bring Merlin as well".

Here Arthur assumed that magic would have something to do with it.

"Emrys is using magic to get here?" Arthur asked, and received an affirmative from Anya. "I think I prefer it that way, to be honest. Merlin always somehow ends up getting involved. He's better off staying out of this, especially If Morgana thinks he's dead".

Anya smiled in response and watched Arthur leave the room to re-join his men. Little did Arthur know that Anya wasn't smiling in agreement, she smiled because she knew the truth. One way or another, Merlin was definitely going to get involved in this fight.

Outside in the courtyard, the Wyverns had started grouping together and were circling the Knights, taking the odd swoop down to attack them, only to be fended off by their shields and magic. But the Wyverns were obviously doing as they were ordered by Morgana – they were taking the heat off of the gate and the Serkets. Arthur could see a couple of large holes in the wood of the gate, and saw one of the Serkets' stingers retract and then attack again.

Arthur picked up a mace that was lying on the ground and aimed it at one of the Wyverns that had started making it's decent towards the Knights. As it fell to the ground, where one of the Knights proceeded to make sure it was no more a threat, Arthur called out to Lael, informing him that they needed some people taking care of the gate.

As some druids ran past him towards the gate, he made his way back up to the battlements.

Looking out across the battle zone and aiming another arrow into the sky, he heard another familiar roar from somewhere behind him. Almost as one, everyone on the battlements turned towards the source of the noise.

"Oh no…" Arthur whispered.

The Great Dragon – the dragon that had once lived beneath Camelot – had returned. But he had killed it! It had flown away that day, to die! It must have healed itself somehow. None of that mattered though. Arthur knew that this was it. It was the end. With this dragon on Morgana's side they were finished. There was no way that they would manage to make it another hour, forget about the rest of the night.

Out by the forest's edge, Morgana smirked. The Great Dragon that had once attacked Camelot had returned. True, she had not been there when the Dragon had attacked – she had been with her sister, learning magic. But she had heard what damage this beast had done to the city, and now it was back for more revenge. This was going to be even easier than she had ever expected.

Then suddenly a burst of fire came flying from the dragon's mouth. It roared through the sky towards its intended target. But it wasn't aimed at the city, or the Knights of Camelot.

Half of the Serkets cried out in pain as they were suddenly set alight. The other half instinctively backed away from the flames, but as Morgana's eyes lit golden, they continued to attack the gate of Camelot, completely under her control.

Neither Morgana nor Arthur could understand what was happening. The Great Dragon was defending Camelot, and continued doing so as he swooped down once more to attack the rest of the Serkets, getting many of those that still remained. There were only fifteen or so of the creatures left when the Dragon took to the sky once more to fly around the area and head back to the battle. This time the Dragon continued on towards the castle itself.

"Men-!" Arthur started, raising his crossbow, getting ready to fire at the huge animal.

"No, Arthur!" Anya's voice cried out.

Looking around, Arthur saw that Anya had come out to stand at the top of the Courtyard steps. She was shaking her head, as if to indicate that the dragon would not harm them. Arthur knew what this dragon had done to this city in the past and wouldn't believe that it would not continue to do so again, but he trusted Anya. If she said it wouldn't harm them, then he hope to heaven that it was true.

He ordered his men to stand down and to continued firing at the Serkets that remained. By this time, the remaining Wyverns had flown back to the other side of the city, away from the castle, in fear of the Great Dragon. The Knights and druids that had gathered in the centre of the courtyard left and returned to their places by the gate or on the battlements – to somewhere that they would be of more use.

'_At least that's one good thing to come from it being here'_ Arthur thought to himself. _'Hopefully it won't turn and attack us next'_.

His hopes came true as the Dragon gently came to a landing in the middle of the courtyard. Arthur couldn't believe it as he saw it bow his head in his direction. Then he saw someone start to get off the Dragon's neck – someone had been up there on the dragon's back at it flew!

He wore a long dark blue cloak and the hood had been brought up over his face, hiding it completely.

"You must be Emrys" Arthur started, holding his hand out for the Warlock to take and helped him down, not really happy with how close he now was with the dragon, but he needed to talk to this man quickly.

"Indeed," the Warlock started. "Sorry for being late, Sire".

Arthur laughed at the Warlock's words, his voice sounded slightly familiar, but it wasn't something he would bother himself with at that time. He had more important things to be focusing on.

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><p><strong>Next one should be out soon. Shouldn't be too long though :)<strong>

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><p><strong>Translation:<strong>

'**Ácwele!'**** – I took this from the Merlin wikia site, and it roughly translates to '****destroy!'****.**

'**Awendaþ eft wansæliga neat!****' - also taken from the wikia site, translating to '****Avert back the terrible beasts'****.**

'**Tospringe'**** – also taken from the wikia site, translating to '****burst open****'.**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**kaykit - **thanks for reviewing! :D

**nycorrall - **hope this one was just as good as the last :D thanks a lot, and thanks for reviewing! XD

**Cupcakemaster99 -** thanks! you'll all find out soon enough! :D lol don't worry :)

**ReadingRaven019 - **hope you enjoyed it! thanks for reviewing :D

**Niyin - **:D thanks! hehe, knew that there would be those out there to love to see the Dragonlord return :) That's a good idea! Thanks :D and thanks for reviewing :D

**Thanks again to everyone! It means so much to know that this story is still getting read after all these chapters :D**

**Xx**


	28. Sneak In, Sneak Out

**Totally forgot to mention! The credit for the title of Chapter 26 – 'Plans About The Attack' – goes to ****Niyin ****:D Thanks btw! :D**

**One of the scenes in this is totally 'Lord of the Rings' but I didn't realize until after I wrote it, so does that count as stealing? Either way 'Lord of the Rings' doesn't belong to me either :) Please tell me if you get where I'm coming from by saying this when you read it - I'll feel so alone! Cookies to those that do get it!**

**Here's the next instalment. Word count says that the story itself is 4,151! Largest instalment yet! Take a note of the date – 08/03/2012 :D**

**I dare you to say that I've claimed that 'Merlin' belongs to me – see how many people laugh at ya! :P**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>So far, his magic had managed to keep his hood in place. He had remembered the spell from the last time he had worn his cloak and knew that he would need it now if he wanted his identity to remain hidden. After all that flying he was glad that he had remembered to use the spell – the hood would not have lasted five seconds.<p>

Merlin saw Kilgharrah use his flame to rid the enemy of most of their Serkets and grinned.

"Looks like you found a way to get around Morgana's spell!" He shouted over the rush of the air as he went flying towards the courtyard. He could just hear Kilgharrah laugh over the noise of Kilgharrah's wings.

Merlin knew that that wouldn't cover the rest of the Serkets though, or the Wyverns for that matter. He knew that he was a Dragonlord, but this was Dark Magic that he was going up against. Which magic would be the stronger? For all he knew, Morgana's dark magic could overpower his Dragonlord powers – even Kilgharrah was unsure. They both knew how powerful the spell that Morgana had used was. It bent creatures completely to the casters will.

Kilgharrah managed to land softly within the courtyard of the castle – surprisingly without being shot at by the Knights of Camelot. Looking around the area he saw Anya smiling and shaking her head from the bottom of the courtyard steps. Then he saw Arthur was approaching them and he immediately set about getting back down to the ground. Surprisingly, Arthur came right up to him before he had even managed to get down, and actually helped him get back to his feet. It was one of the first things that Merlin noticed that made him realize that Arthur really trusted the druids and their magic.

He only just managed to disguise his voice as he spoke to the Prince.

"Sorry for being late, Sire" he said, to which Arthur just laughed.

"Alright, um…" Arthur started, looking between Emrys and the Great Dragon. "How-?"

"Sire, I assure you that all will be explained after all of this," Merlin interrupted. "Right now, I believe we both have somewhere else to be?"

"Of course!" Arthur exclaimed, having forgotten what was going on around him. "I need to check on my Knights, the gate is being forced open and-".

"I will head down to the gate, my Lord," Merlin explained. "There may be something I can do".

Arthur nodded, then took off back in the other direction, towards the battlements.

Around him, Merlin noticed people were running around. Those who had been brave enough to leave the safety of the castle had come out and had started putting clearing away some of the rubble; helping to get the Knights that had been attacked by Wyverns to the medical ward. Thanks to the arrival of Kilgharrah, there were no Wyverns to attack them, but they all still looked scared of him, remembering the last time he had been there. But they had seen Arthur walk right up to him, so they knew he was safe.

Merlin started towards the gate, quickly being met by Anya, who was following him.

"You sure do like an entrance" Anya mumbled, grinning at Merlin.

"I know, I can't help it," Merlin mumbled back, grinning too. "Kilgharrah! Do what you can!" he shouted back to the dragon, who nodded and took off at once.

They soon arrived at the gate. Knights running back and forwards, trying to find something to reinforce the gate. Druids were trying to use their magic to do the same thing, but with the remaining Serkets still attacking the gate, and the enemy sorcerers using their magic to try and break down the wood, they were struggling. There were already holes breaking through the wood, and the Knights had to keep jumping back as one of the Serket stinger's tried reaching through.

"Emrys!" came a familiar voice.

They both looked around and saw Kiran coming up to them.

"Kiran, do you know how many of the Serkets are left?" Merlin asked, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know- Fifteen? Twenty? Something like that," Kiran explained. "It won't matter either way, Morgana's sorcerers are doing a good enough job trying to get through!" he added, having to shout over the noise of the gate being hammered against.

"Right… I need to find another way to get out of the city walls-".

"What? Are you crazy? You go out there, and you'll be killed!" Anya interrupted.

"Don't worry about me, Anya, I've got an idea," Merlin explained. "Besides, this doesn't work, and we're all dead anyway".

Merlin knew that this would be the moment. The moment that he would find out if he was powerful enough to overcome Morgana's magic. He would need to be close to the Serkets if this was going to work. If he could force the Serkets to retreat, then they could win. If he couldn't….

"Keep defending the gate. I'm going to go out there, force the Serkets away," Merlin started. "When they move, you and all of these other druids use your magic to repair and reinforce the gate, make it better than before". At this Kiran nodded reluctantly and ran off to inform the druids that were already down there.

"Anya," He continued, turning to face the druid leader. "I'll send you a message when I manage to remove the Serkets, and when I'm coming back in. I'll need you to be at the entrance when I get back. If I'm being followed, you need to destroy the entrance".

"I do that and you'll be trapped-" Anya protested.

Merlin shook his head. "I'll be fine. If I can handle dragons and Serkets, I think I should be able to hold my own around a couple of sorcerers".

Anya didn't like it – it sounded more like a suicide mission. But she could hear the determination in Merlin's voice and knew that there was nothing she could say to convince him not to go.

Anya said she would help Kiran until he called her, as Merlin ran off to another part of the city wall, towards where he knew a secret entrance into the city could be found. He wasn't even sure if anyone else knew about this entrance. It was incredibly old, and usually wouldn't use the exit because of how dangerous it was – but this was under different circumstances. It was hidden by a very old wooden trap door, which had been covered by grass, leaves and bushes over the years, making it even harder to see. It lead underground, an old cave-like area that was in dangerous threat of collapsing, and then under the city wall. The exit on the other side was covered by a small gate, just large enough for him to fit through. This gate itself was in a small cave that went back only a couple of metres.

Merlin managed to close the trap door gently behind him as he made his way through the tunnel. He wasn't even half way through when he heard footsteps coming from in front of him. Quickly hiding behind a large crevice in the wall, he gathered his magic ready to defend himself. Looking around the corner, he saw a group of soldiers heading in his direction, but they obviously had not noticed him yet. This proved what Morgana was intending to do. She was trying to sneak the soldiers into the city.

His heart raced as he heard them getting closer.

Taking one step out from behind the rock, Merlin raised a single hand, and his eyes flashed golden. Without saying a word, each of the soldiers fell to the ground. Three of them had flown so far as to hit the rock wall before falling to the floor. That was enough to start the rumbling. Merlin could feel the shaking of the cave around him, the awkward walls starting to crumble already.

Without hesitation, he ran towards the exit at the other end. Looking behind him, he saw the rocks starting to fall. They bounced off the ground, and went flying in all directions. It felt like he was being chased, the rocks hitting the ground around his feet as he ran. A few smaller ones managed to hit him as he ran, but he kept going.

He only just made it out, when he saw the walls around the exit crumble to the ground. He continued out of the small cave and watched at rocks from the ceiling of it started collapsing in on itself. Before his eyes, the entrance completely disappeared under rocks and soil.

'_There goes my escape route…' _Merlin thought to himself_._

Out of breath, and now sporting a few cuts to his arms, he put one hand on the closest tree as he leaned against it to get his breath back. He raised his head as he heard the noises from the battle not too far away. He could make out the crashes of the attacks that the gate to the city was still enduring – so they hadn't broken through yet.

Merlin ran from his tree, towards the noise, but snuck up close and hid behind another group of trees as he saw the Serkets ahead of him. He got as close as he dared without getting caught. He could see that there were more gaps in the wood now, larger than before, but they were too high for the Serkets to get though, as their tails would attack the door well above their heads. Breathing slowly, he raised a hand in their direction.

"Ego to order alica super vos ut subsisto" Merlin whispered, using his knowledge of the old religion to create a new spell for this purpose. But it did nothing. The Serkets continued to attack.

"Ego to order alica super vos ut subsisto" He repeated, voice a little louder. Still nothing happened.

As Merlin prepared himself for another go, he heard the gate of Camelot finally give way. Drawing back his arm and then forcing it back, like he was forcing the magic towards the creatures he called out, "Ego to order alica super vos ut subsisto! Atrum veneficus est infractus!".

As his eyes finally turned their golden, he felt the magic finally do its work. But it took its toll on him too. He felt a deep stabbing pain course through his chest, and he doubled over in pain, almost collapsing to the ground. He held on to the tree beside him for support with one hand, his other was wrapped around him as he breathed through it. When he finally stood up again, it was still there, but it had dimmed slightly.

He looked up to the Serkets scattering back towards the forest that they had come from. Towards Morgana and her 'army'. It brought a small smile to Merlin's lips to think about Morgana's 'recruits' turning on her instead.

Suddenly he heard a voice interrupt his own thoughts – a very familiar one.

'_Merlin, you did it!' _Anya voiced exclaimed.

'_Anya?_' Merlin thought. Was this like the time he had run into Iseldir?

'_No, this is your conscience speaking. Of course it's me!_' Anya replied, bringing a bigger smile to Merlin's face.

'_Anya, quickly get everyone to repair the gate' _Merlin started._ 'The Serkets are heading back and should provide a distraction for a while'._

'_What about you?' _Anya asked_._

'_The exit has collapsed, so don't worry about that' _Merlin explained. _'I'm going to go get Thana back, and then I'll come back to the city'._

'_How will you get in?'._

'_Don't worry, there are other entrances' _Merlin finished. Then he remembered. '_Anya, they could be using other hidden entrances into the city as a way to take over Camelot. Have Arthur check them'_.

Anya said that she would, and wished Merlin good luck, and to make sure that Thana was alright for her. He could see the knights and druids working together as he walked away from the gate. Ahead of him, the Serkets were definitely proving to be a distraction to Morgana's army; they were running all over the place, trying to either get away or attack the creatures – which were attacking them right back. Merlin looked to the sky and saw Kilgharrah attacking them too. Some sorcerers were managing to use their magic to protect themselves and others from Kilgharrah's flames, but every now and again, the Great Dragon managed to swoop down and get one or two with his claws. Between Kilgharrah and the Serkets, he knew that the sorcerers would be too distracted to notice him sneaking by.

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><p>Merlin carefully avoided getting caught by sneaking around the trees, using his magic to cause distractions or drag the attention of one of the Serkets to one of the sorcerers around him – which was surprisingly easy. He managed to make it towards where believed Morgana would have made her camp upon arrival and was not disappointed.<p>

He hid behind a large oak as he saw three sorcerers were left in charge of the area. These sorcerers had obviously been left here in charge of Thana's safekeeping. He could see a few tents behind the three men – who were sat around a campfire. Using his magic, he could sense where Thana was hidden, detecting which tent Thana was being held inside. He started raising his hand in the direction of the three men, preparing himself to knock them out with magic. Then two men came out from the path on the other side of the camp. They rushed into the clearing, and had obviously been running.

"Beck! John! Bram!" cried one of the men. "You've got to come! The Serkets, the dragon – they're destroying us back there!".

The three immediately left their seats and headed after the two messengers, forgetting completely about their prisoner.

Quickly, but quietly in case one of them came back, Merlin made his way across the camp and inside Thana's tent. He saw her immediately, chains folded around her like Morgause had once done to him. Thankfully, Morgana had not used magic to reinforce the chains.

"Abricaþ benda" Merlin whispered, touching the chains with his left hand. Immediately the chains fell to the ground, away from Thana. He reached up and removed the gag that had been put in her mouth, stopping her from casting the spell herself.

"Emrys!" Thana exclaimed, as he helped her to her feet.

Merlin brought his hand to his mouth, telling her to keep her voice low.

"They could be back at any minute, Thana," Merlin explained. "Come on, let's get out of here".

Looking out of the tent before leaving, they managed to cut across the camp, and headed back in the direction of the city. Merlin knew of another secret entrance into the castle – one that literally led into the castle. The entrance too was hidden by a small cave, and he remembered it being very dark and difficult to see. He was pretty sure that he, Arthur and Gaius were the only ones that actually knew about it. So he started heading in that direction.

It seemed he was wrong about being the only one of three that knew about the entrance. Arriving near the entrance, he saw a small group of soldiers – not nearly enough to take on the Knights of Camelot. They weren't heading into the tunnel, they were just standing there, waiting for something. He could tell from the small amount of soldiers, that they were waiting for more soldiers to arrive.

'_They must not be far away if these guys are ready to go in'_ Merlin thought, and realized that he had little time to get in and warn Arthur.

He and Thana remained hidden, while Merlin tried to think of something to either get passed them and warn Arthur, or remove them as a threat. That was when he saw Kali. By the look on Thana's face, she had already worked out who it was that had betrayed them.

"What do we do now?" Thana asked, looking from the soldiers to Merlin.

Merlin thought as he watched Kali pace back and forth across the clearing, around boulders of rock, that she and the soldiers were standing in.

"Okay," Merlin started, turning to Thana. "There's only fifteen or so soldiers here, they're waiting for the rest of them, and from what I believe, Morgana would only send in enough to at least enough to take on all the Knights of Camelot".

"So why aren't the rest of them already here?" Thana asked.

"Morgana probably sent this lot to check that the entrance was clear," he explained. "Kali's probably sent word to Morgana telling her that it's all ready".

"So we need to get rid of this lot before the rest of them show up…" Thana realized, looking back around the tree she was behind to see the soldiers still waiting. She looked back to him, and knew that Merlin had a plan.

As they both jumped out from behind the trees, they called out, "Hleap on bæc!".

Almost at once, the soldiers were all thrown back, away from the entrance of the tunnel, most of them hitting trees or boulders, knocking them unconscious or killing them. Of the few that regained their footing, Thana immediately threw them through the air once more, forcing them to face their fate. Merlin saw Kali starting to stand back up, having landed on a softer part of the clearing.

"No" he said, putting a hand in front of Thana as she raised her hand to attack. "Kali, you have to speak to your father, you've got this all wrong-".

"What would you know, Emrys?" Kali replied, venom in her tone. She's raised her hand like Thana, ready to use her magic to defend or attack. "You weren't there, you haven't lost a parent because of the Pendragons".

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kali," Merlin started, no longer disguising his voice. "I never knew my father because of Uther".

"Then why do you fight beside them?" Kali exclaimed, yelling at the warlock.

"Because Arthur is not his father," Merlin shouted. "He is a good person, and he will be a great King, I know it. Kali, you need to speak to your father, you didn't lose your mother the way you think you did".

"What would you know about it?" she yelled in return.

"Anya contacted me. James told her what happened back then. It was an accident," Merlin explained. "It wasn't a Knight that killed her, Kali, you have to believe me. The women and children in that camp were not supposed to be hurt; Uther gave orders not to harm them".

Kali hesitated at that. "That can't be true, why would he-?"

"He wasn't as heartless as everyone believes," Merlin answered, smiling slightly.

Kali slowly lowered her hand. Merlin quietly released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

As he started walking forwards, he saw something move from behind her. The entrance to the castle tunnel had opened and out stepped the Knights of the Round Table, four other knights, the rest of the druid leaders, Kiran, Liam and Arthur.

Merlin stood tall as he saw confusion and other mixed feelings appear on Arthur's face. Kali stepped back from the group that were making their way towards them. Arthur was walking ahead of the others and had been making his way towards Merlin.

"Just when were you going to tell me who you were, Emrys? Or should I say 'Merlin'?" Arthur asked, stopping a couple of metres away from the warlock.

Merlin flinched when he heard a slight stab of anger when Arthur said his name.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Earlier…<strong>_

Anya had rushed up to Arthur at the first moment she could and warned him about the possibility of the soldiers Morgana had bursting in through secret entrances in order to take over the city. He knew that if they had succeeded, then the city would fall. They would be forced down, out of the city and made vulnerable to attack from the sorcerers as well as the soldiers.

Having no real threat at the moment – the sorcerers were made busy by the remaining Serkets and the Dragon – Arthur managed to gather some Knights and split them into groups to go check the entrances. Arthur had eight Knights, including the five from the Round Table, and the four druid leaders requested to come with him, as well as two other druids he knew as Kiran and Liam. A few other druids offered to go with the other groups, in case they ran into trouble. The rest of the Knights would be left to defend the city from the battlements, and were to send a message when the sorcerers started attacking again. Likewise, if one of the groups found soldiers trying to break in, word was to be sent for the rest of the groups to head to that one entrance to defend it.

Arthur knew of one of the secret entrances that none of the others would know about. He remembered sneaking out of it once when he was a teenager, and had brought Morgana along with him – not that they had used it since. It was one of the only ones that lead straight from outside the walls and into the castle. It was that one that he wanted to check first.

As he lead his men and the druids down the stairs and along the tunnel, they saw a bright light from the exit that was just ahead of them. Arthur made sure that they all kept to the shadows as they checked outside the grate, with thick bars, that made the exit. They could see a small group of soldiers ready to enter, but there were only a small number.

"They must be waiting for the rest of them to arrive" Arthur commented, the people around him just managing to make out his words. "Ector, head back into the castle, and send word to the rest of the Knights" he added, turning to one of his Knights, who immediately headed back up the tunnel.

Arthur turned quickly back to the grate as he heard loud voices, and cries of pain from the clearing outside it. He and the Knights watched as two figures walked forwards and knocked back all the soldiers to the ground. Arthur recognized one of the figures as Emrys, but didn't know the other. A gasp from Lael revealed to him that this was Thana – the other leader he had heard about.

He watched as Emrys prevented Thana from attacking someone he felt was familiar.

"Kali-" James started, trying to move forwards towards the grate, but was stopped by Lael.

They watched in silence as Emrys tried to convince Kali to talk to her father.

"You weren't there, you haven't lost a parent because of the Pendragons" Kali argued.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kali," Emrys started.

Arthur suddenly felt again like he knew that voice from somewhere, but this time it was a lot more obvious who it belonged to…but it couldn't be. The voice sounded like Merlin's.

"I never knew my father because of Uther".

Arthur was shocked, Merlin never really mentioned his family. And it was his father's fault that he never knew him? How could that be?

"Then why do you fight beside them?" Kali exclaimed, yelling at the warlock.

"Because Arthur is not his father," Merlin shouted.

This time he knew it was Merlin. Merlin had shouted, no disguising it at all. That meant that Merlin was Emrys…Merlin was a Warlock.

"He is a good person, and he will be a great King, I know it," Merlin continued.

Arthur smiled slightly at Merlin's words. He was always telling him that he believed that Arthur would make a great King – it was something he would always believe. Merlin never changed.

Soon, Kali lowered her hand from Merlin and Thana, and seemed to agree that she would at least talk with James before completely betraying them. It was about time, because Arthur wanted answers. Bursting out of the grate, his men and the druids following him, he walked straight up towards Merlin.

"Just when were you going to tell me who you were, Emrys? Or should I say 'Merlin'?" Arthur asked, stopping a couple of metres away from the warlock. He couldn't help the small trace of anger from leaking into his voice when he said Merlin's name.

Merlin's shoulder's dropped, no longer standing completely tall. His secret had been revealed. He knew it was useless to hide any more, Arthur had heard him speaking with his normal voice, so he removed his hood. Still, Arthur was shocked, having been unwilling to believe it, and stepped back slightly.

"You're Emrys?" Arthur finally asked.

* * *

><p><strong>Translator:<strong>

'**Ego to order alica super vos ut subsisto'**** – used Latin translator, means – ****'I order the spell upon you to stop'.**

'**Ego to order alica super vos ut subsisto! Atrum veneficus est infractus****!' – again, used Latin translator, means – '****I order the spell upon you to stop! The Dark magic is broken!****'**

'**Abricaþ benda'**** – taken from the Merlin wikia site, means – '****Break the chains****'.**

'**Hleap on bæc****!' – taken from the show, means – ****'leap on your back'****.**

* * *

><p><strong>Jeewiz! The response to the last chapter was SO much bigger than I expected! Have to write the minimum for review comments because there's so many! And yet it still adds 417 words! <strong>

**Reviews:**

**Aldryne21 – **Thanks! Lol, it seemed like something that would happen in the show – Arthur finding out last :D hope you liked this one too!

**flyaway213 **– thanks a lot! Hope you liked it, and thanks for reviewing!

**asdf**- :D ta! Glad to see you're still enjoying this :D

**LittleMissUnPerfect **– hehe XD Thanks for waiting for this, sorry for the long gaps recently :) thanks for reviewing!

**Cupcakemaster99**– lol, I had to add that (I thought it might redeem him for attacking it before) thanks! :)

**Mediatrix **– hehe :D thanks! Glad to hear it :D thanks for reviewing :)

**sarajm**– ta :) yup yup, and now he knows Merlin's secret! :D

**Magic Cabbage** – Yippee! :D glad you liked it :) thanks!

**nycorrall **– hehe, thanks! :D

**HplcMlVr** – hope this was soon enough :) thanks! Hehe, everyone was looking forward to that part :D We'll find out eventually about Arthur's reaction :D

**Dee** – lol, I know! I'm always smiling when I see Merlin flying on the dragon – he looks like he's having SO much fun! XD thanks!

**hblankm** – hehe, Merlin's awesome! Your review is fabulous! :D thanks!

**Minch –** yup yup, and now he knows the truth! Dun dun dun! Lol thanks for reviewing :D

**Heart of Diamond** – Thanks! Hehe, love the dragon! :D thanks for reviewing :)

**ReadingRaven019** – thanks! Reading back I do see what you mean – 'organised'. I'm not really that good at writing action scenes tbh, but I'm working on it :D glad you still liked it :D

**Niyin** – Hi! Sorry about almost missing your bus, but wow for your dedication! Hehe ;D I think catching your bus was slightly more important ;) I love babbling – I do it all the time! :D glad you liked it! How was the reveal? Don't worry, I don't think the cloak will be much use anymore :S thanks for reviewing! :D

**TheRandomFandomGirl **– here you go! :D As long as you are enjoying it :D I love your amazing review!

**risenmittin** - yeah, I know how busy uni can be :( I enjoy it, but it can be real irritating when it comes to messing up your personal life :S Anyway, glad you liked it! :D Nah, Arthur's got to find out at some point ;)

**chocolatecake1 **– now I wanna eat chocolate cake ;D Hell yeah! I wanna see that in the next season! I really want Merlin's secret to be revealed, but then I think there will be nothing really big to look forward to. Glad you're liking the story :D

**Again, WOW! 19 reviews! Thanks everyone!**

**Xx**


	29. Once And For All

**This is getting so close to the end – I think there's probably going to be a max of 30 chapters, so definitely soon :) Thanks to everyone for continuing to read this. Don't know if there's a possibility of a sequel yet…**

**This one's shorter, but it's literally this or nothing – been really busy, I was surprised that I managed to even get this done! I promise I'll make the next one longer, and I'll try to get it out as soon as possible! :)**

**Don't own Merlin…*cries in a corner* :P Do own mistakes *cries even harder* :P It figures that I'd own something I'd rather not, and not own something I wish I did XD**

* * *

><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously…<strong>_

_Merlin's shoulder's dropped, no longer standing completely tall. His secret had been revealed. He knew it was useless to hide any more, Arthur had heard him speaking with his normal voice, so he removed his hood. Still, Arthur was shocked, having been unwilling to believe it, and stepped back slightly._

_"You're Emrys?" Arthur finally asked._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Now…<strong>_

Merlin removed his hood and heard the intake from Leon and Elyan – the only two other knights that weren't aware of his true identity. He couldn't look at Arthur, so he looked instead at the ground in front of him, in between the both of them.

"Arthur…" he tried to start.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Arthur asked, shaking his head in irritation.

Merlin raised his head at that. He saw that Arthur was irritated, but he didn't look overly angry.

"Are you actually asking that?" Merlin replied. "Considering your father's views on magic?

"I thought you just said that I am not my father?" Arthur argued.

"If I told you about this you would have to tell him, Arthur, you're the Prince of Camelot".

"I could've hidden it from him, Merlin" the Prince replied, the irritated slipping into his voice.

"Then you would have lied to the King, your father, I couldn't put you in that position – wait…" Merlin stuttered. "You would have lied to him?"

Merlin stared at the Prince in shock. Did this mean what he thought it meant?

"Of course I would have!" Arthur replied, throwing his arms into the air.

"Why?".

"Please, Merlin, if you were going to attack me, you would have done it sometime in the last six years. That or you're the worst assassin ever – which is actually easy to believe, you are an idiot after all".

"And nothing will ever change you being a prat" Merlin replied. "You don't have a problem with me being a warlock?".

"Why would I?" Arthur replied. "I am trusting all these druids, aren't I? I have let them all within the walls of Camelot, essentially placing my life in their hands – they could kill me whenever they want, there are enough of them. What I do have a problem with is you hiding this from me for all these years…".

Arthur was going to continue, but he could tell from Merlin's face that not telling him was something that had been torturing him for a long time.

"Why?" was all that Merlin could ask.

"Because believe it or not, Merlin…I actually trust you" Arthur answered, looking like this conversation was starting to get uncomfortable.

Merlin started smiling. He couldn't believe it.

"I told you that you should have told him sooner, Merlin" said a smiling Lancelot.

"Wait, what?" Arthur said, turning around to face the knight.

"I totally agree, Arthur's face was priceless!" Gwaine replied, making both Percival and Lancelot laugh.

"Hang on!" Arthur cut in, his voice going slightly higher as it tended to do when he feigned insult. "Am I the only one who didn't know about this? Who else knew?" he continued, turning around to look at Merlin.

"My mother, Will, Gaius, the druids, a lot of bad sorcerer guys-".

"So everyone but me?" Arthur interrupted.

"Near enough," Merlin replied, nodding his head with a funny look on his face. "Those two didn't though" he added, pointed at Leon and Elyan.

Arthur turned around to look at the mentioned Knights and saw them looking at Merlin still a little surprised.

"You're going to pay for this, Merlin" Arthur replied shaking his head again.

Merlin knew what that meant. "Cleaning out the stables?".

"Yup".

"Fine".

They were silent for a few seconds, then starting laughing.

"Father," they heard Kali say softly. "Is it true? How mother died?".

"Yes, Kali. It was an accident," James replied. "She was not murdered by Uther's men".

Kali shoulder's dropped at hearing this. "I am so sorry. If I hadn't helped Morgana – I helped locate sorcerers for her, find the Wyverns. I can't believe I did that-".

"Kali, it's all right," Merlin interrupted. "No one's blaming you here. You were upset about losing your mother…".

"Merlin - did you mean what you said when it was my father's fault that you never knew your father?" Arthur had to ask.

Merlin hesitated. He really_ had_ heard everything. "Yes, it's true. But I met him, a while back now…".

"You met him? Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur asked, looking slightly irked at another thing he had hidden from him. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Merlin. When?".

He noticed how Merlin hesitated to answer, a sadness filling his eyes. "When we went looking for the Dragonlord…" he finally said, speaking slowly.

"When did you…?" Arthur started, and then realized from the look on Merlin's face. "Oh, no, Merlin, please don't tell me-".

"Am I interrupting something?" said a familiar voice.

The group jumped together as they turned and saw Morgana at the head of the group she had lead around to the back of the city. Behind her stood the soldiers that she had managed to bring, having left the sorcerers to keep the rest of the Knights focused on the front of the city. But that was not what had made them all group together. Alongside her, climbing up the hill and around the trees were the Wyverns. No one had seen them arriving because of the thickness of the trees outside the clearing, and the dip in the ground just over the rise.

"Merlin? Shouldn't you be dead?" Morgana said, looking extremely maddened by seeing him alive and well.

"Something you should know, Morgana," Merlin started, standing at the front of the group beside Arthur and Kali. "It's hard to kill someone with magic if they were born with it".

"What? You? You are Emrys?" Morgana laughed. "You have magic? This is going to be easier than I thought, at least this time I can enjoy killing you".

"There's something – Kali, why didn't you tell her who Emrys is?" Merlin started, looking to his left at the druid.

"I didn't think it honestly mattered," she replied. "She was going to kill you either way, telling her you were a servant wasn't going to change anything".

"Actually, it would have made her more determined to make sure I was dead earlier. She's wanted me out of the way for years! So thanks, by the way" he replied, smiling.

Arthur and Gwaine shook their heads, while the rest of the group shared amused looks, at the conversation the two were having.

"Are you done?" Morgana interrupted. "She's right about one thing; I am still going to kill you-".

"Offendo lemma! Iuguolo lemma!" she recited.

At those words, the Wyverns started moving forwards, towards the group, who immediately started moving backwards. All but Merlin.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur asked, trying to get his arm to drag him back. "Move!".

"Something else, Morgana," Merlin explained, not moving an inch. "Sending Wyverns against a Dragonlord is a bad idea-".

"Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai!" he roared, standing tall, ordering the Wyverns as he had once did before in the Perilous Lands.

Immediately, all the surrounding Wyverns ducked their heads, bowing to their Dragonlord. The other members of Merlin's group had stopped moving backwards, and stood in awe at what Merlin had just done. Not even the druids had known that Merlin was a Dragonlord.

"All hail the Wyvern King, huh?" Merlin heard Gwaine say, who was giving him a pat on the back.

Merlin threw his friend an amused smile, before turning back to the Wyverns and Morgana. He could see that the soldiers behind her were looking slightly nervous, as the Wyverns had just turned and faced them, all ready to attack the ones that had captured them, and enchanted them to attack against their will. They were now the ones who were stepping backwards away from the dragon-like creatures, all except Morgana who stood still, looking at the Wyverns in disbelief.

"NO! This isn't possible!" She shouted. "You will do as I command!"

"Somehow, I don't think they will, anymore," James said, but was ignored as Morgana kept her focus on the creatures that were coming ever closer.

She had kept trying to use her magic on them, trying to regain her control. It wouldn't work, they kept coming towards her. Suddenly when one of the creatures jumped forwards, attacking two of the soldiers, all hell broke loose. All of the soldiers started running away from the scene, as the rest of the Wyverns started attacking too, taking down as many of their captures as possible. In the end only three were left, trying to corner Morgana.

"Hleap on bæc!" she cried, as one of them finally jumped at her.

It was thrown through the air and was struck against a tree on the other side of the clearing. It quickly regained its feet, but took off into the sky, soon followed by the other two, who were afraid of the witch before them.

"You will pay for this, Merlin" Morgana said, stepping forward, venom in her voice.

"Why is everyone concerned with me paying for things?" Merlin uttered, taking a look at Arthur, who scoffed in amusement.

"You shouldn't act so confident, Merlin, you cannot hope to beat me" Morgana continued.

"I am more powerful than you, Morgana, make no mistake," Merlin replied. "Not only that, but I think I have more back-up than you".

"Not that you need it" said a smiling Anya.

Morgana had suddenly raised her hand and uttered something inaudible, so quickly that Merlin almost didn't have enough time to react. The green fire flew from Morgana's palm, and was met with a bright blue shield that bent its way around the whole group, protecting them from the flames. Merlin stood with his left hand up at an angle, holding the shield in place.

Morgana pushed with the fire, using another spell, trying to break through the shield. So Merlin pushed back, wordlessly and powerfully, forcing Morgana to jump to the side as her own weapon was turned back on herself.

Morgana sat up on one elbow, looking in shock at Merlin, her eyes wide. She immediately stood up, staring at the warlock, unsure of what to do now.

"How…?"

"I was born with magic, Morgana," Merlin explained. "I've been using it since before I could talk, even before I could walk. I wouldn't if I were you-"he added, as Morgana raised a hand to cast more magic.

Morgana seemed to think better of it, and forgo casting the spell she had had ready on her lips. Then her shook changed to pure anger.

"You will regret making yourself my enemy, Merlin" she started.

"I never made myself your enemy," Merlin replied. "You did that all on your own".

"If you so easily betray your own kind, then with good reason!" Morgana shouted. "Forbearne!"

Merlin and the rest of the group scattered as the fireball was thrown towards them. Standing tall, Merlin gathered his magic, ready to end this once and for all.

* * *

><p><strong>Part of me hopes that Arthur reacts like this in the show, but then I think he's going to feel really betrayed, even if he saw how hard it had been on Merlin so :S I just wanna see it on telly! – Love dramatic moments!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Translator:<strong>

'**Offendo lemma! Iuguolo lemma!****' – used Latin translator again, love that thing, means – '****Strike them! Kill them!****'**

'**Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai****!' – borrowed from the show, episode=The Eye of the Phoenix. The meaning and what actually happened it weird so assume it means something along the lines of '****Now you must obey and mean us no harm!****'.**

'**Hleap on bæc!****'- Already used this one before from the show, means – '****Leap on your back!****'.**

'**Forbearne!'**** – totally nicked it from the show, lol, means – '****Burn up!****'.**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**katkit **- :) :D

**sarajm – **same here, I hope Arthur's reaction was okay :)

**Niyin – **Hi! Hehe – I babble all the time, it's so much fun! Hehe :D ta! I suppose it wasn't really a 'Lord of the Rings' scene. It just reminded me of the scene in the movie when Aragorn and Gimli went around the side of the walls when the huge gate was being attacked and they took care of them lol :D I just thought I'd mention it in case someone complained and said that I was copying –totally paranoid, right? Hehe :D thanks for noticing, I'll keep a look out in future :) thanks for reviewing btw! :D

**DeaththeKidKat – **lol, does seem a little pointless :D thanks for reviewing once! XD thanks!

**Mediatrix – **ta! Glad you like it :) hope this was a good reaction for you :D

**Magic Cabbage – **thanks! Hope you liked this one too! :D

**HplcMlVr – **hehe, sorry! :) hope this one lived up to your expectations :) thanks for reviewing!

**asdf – **yup yup! Hehe, I know that Arthur can be a bit of a div, but I don't really want him to be that stupid – you'd think he'd recognize him more than he has when Merlin is disguised as Dragoon! Hope you don't mind me asking which part you found odd – I can keep it in mind for future stories :D thanks for reviewing!

**Nycorrall – **hate it when you get log in problems – irritate me beyond belief! Sorry about the cliff! Thanks for reviewing!

**flyaway213 - **you really did sound wise :) it sounds like something someone wise would say :D thanks for loving this story! And I know! It actually annoys me when people misquote that scene! Lol! Glad to finally find someone who knows the truth hehe XD

**Said The Liar 13 - **thanks! Great to hear that you're enjoying this :D

**TheRandomFandomGirl – **thanks! Great to know :D sorry about the math test – hope you did well :) question has found an answer XD thanks for reviewing!

**ReadingRaven019 – **thanks! Good to know you liked it :D

**Angel Bells – **SORRY! Hehe :D hope that this was enough (hopefully the next chapter will be longer, I promise!) thanks for reviewing!

**risenmitten – **hehe, yup a reveal it is XD

**serramoriarty – **great to hear it! Hope this was good :D thanks for reviewing! :D

**Thanks again to everyone, and I promise to have the next one out as soon as I can! :D**

**Xx**


	30. Battle For Power

**Took me ages to get started on this – freaking out that I would screw it up somehow. I knew that the build-up to this scene was pretty big and was really worried that I'd let all my lovely readers down :( hope this worked out well enough :)**

**Don't own 'Merlin'…*sniffs*…**

**There will probably be mistakes, because I don't have a beta yet – don't think I'll ever get one tbh, it's too much effort – lol XD**

**Hope you guys and dolls enjoy this! I dare you not to, hehe :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously…<strong>_

"_I never made myself your enemy," Merlin replied. "You did that all on your own"._

"_If you so easily betray your own kind, then with good reason!" Morgana shouted. "Forbearne!"_

_Merlin and the rest of the group scattered as the fireball was thrown towards them. Standing tall, Merlin gathered his magic, ready to end this once and for all._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Now…<strong>_

"Forp fleoge!" Merlin yelled, as he cast his spell.

Morgana had begun to raise her hand in an attempt to defend herself, but she had not been quick enough. She found herself being thrown across the clearing by an invisible force, and landed near the top of the small hill behind her.

Morgana stood up almost immediately, and Merlin started raising his hand again, when soldiers suddenly burst through the trees and ran at him and the rest of the group, and the soldiers were being led by Helios. Together, the druid leaders, Kali, the knights and Arthur took up their weapons to defend themselves against the attacking force.

But soon they found that they were being forced back, further towards the wall of the ridge that was behind them, towards the secret entrance. It wasn't long until the group had found themselves grouped together, forced into the corner, with enemies surrounding them completely, except for the wall of rock somewhere behind them. There were too many for them all to fight – these were all of the soldiers that were left as well as a few sorcerers, leaving most of the sorcerers to hold their own against the fire breathing Dragon and Serkets. They were easily outnumbered.

"Now what?" Lancelot asked the group, keeping his voice low, sword directed at the soldiers as they tried to get in closer.

"Don't know, anyone got any ideas?" Percival asked, never taking his eyes of off the enemy in front of him.

"Yeah," Arthur replied. "Try not to get killed".

At that moment they heard a rush of footsteps, and loud voices making its way closer to them from behind them. Soon, more Knights came bursting out of the secret entrance from the castle, and ran to fight alongside their Prince in battle, Sir Ector leading them.

"Looks like the back-up has arrived" Gwaine grinned, raising his sword again, ready to continue the fight.

"For Camelot!" Arthur yelled, raising his own sword.

They all rushed forward together, joining the newest Knights in battle. Merlin managed to use his magic to force back a few of the soldiers at the front of the group in front of him, clearing the path for Arthur and his Knights.

Merlin caught the spare sword that one of the knights had been carrying and deflected an enemy attack. He managed to force the man far enough away from him in order to strike out with his magic, and forced the man to fly backwards, taking out another two that were rushing towards him.

He quickly turned around to check on the others as he telepathically sent another soldier flying. Kiran and Anya were fighting side-by-side, protecting one another. The Knights were managing to easily fight back, as well as the other druid leaders, who were helping the knights by fighting the sorcerers with their own magic. He needed to find Morgana. He finally saw her, walking determinedly through the fighting masses, sword in hand. She pushed away anyone who got in her way, even if they were her own men. She knew what she was looking for, and Merlin could see where she was headed.

"Arthur, look out!" Merlin yelled.

Arthur swung around as he heard Merlin calling him, and saw Morgana ready to kill him with a sword he wasn't going to be able to block in time. She swung down with the blade, directing it straight at Arthur's neck.

Morgana suddenly cried out in pain as a rush of fire was sent at her, attacking her hand. The sword was forced out from her hand, and she held her hand close to her body as she cradled it in pain, looking around for the person who attacked her.

Arthur tried to get to Morgana before she used more magic, but he was being forced back by two more soldiers. Merlin brought up his shield as another rush of Morgana's own fire made its way towards him. He could feel the force that Morgana was putting behind it. He could see her face, filled with anger. She was going to do everything to make sure that he died this time. But not if Merlin had anything to say about it.

He forced the flames back towards Morgana, the two fighting for control of the beam of fire. Morgana pushed back, forcing the fire to move back towards the warlock. Merlin brought up his other hand to push back the blaze, putting all of his energy into this one act.

He was too focused on the battle between himself and Morgana to see the dagger coming at him.

He felt the pain sear across his side, forcing him to drop his control from the battle. Instead of being hit by the flames himself, Merlin accidently redirected the inferno, hitting his attacker. But the damage had been done.

Merlin stumbled back, grabbing at his side with one of his hands as he tried to keep himself balanced. He soon found himself falling backwards, towards the ground, only just managing to keep himself up, with his other arm supporting him.

He saw Morgana walking through the crowd of people again, making her way towards him with one of her evil smirks on her face. She managed to pick up a lost sword from the ground as she approached him.

"Well, Merlin," She started. "I think I'm going to enjoy finally getting rid of you".

"Ablinn du; forlæt du nu!" Merlin cried, removing his hand from his side long enough to aim the magic at Morgana.

Morgana fell backwards, but was not forced too far away from the warlock. Merlin had not succeeded in completely casting the spell, he was too weak. Morgana easily got back to her feet.

"Is that all that the great Emrys has to offer?" she smirked.

Merlin forced himself to exhale as he threw Morgana a determined look. Gathering whatever strength he had left, Merlin forced himself to stand. He held onto his side for a moment, before letting his hand drop to his side, ready to fight Morgana to the end.

"You can't honestly think that you can beat me, do you Merlin?"

"Oh, I know I can".

Morgana laughed. She swung the sword at Merlin, who jumped backwards to avoid it. As Morgana swung at him again, he managed to scrabble backwards, further away, and picked up a sword that had been dropped by one of the enemy soldiers. He brought it up to deflect the next blow.

She came at him as fiercely as with the fire, desperate to harm him in some way. He felt himself being forced back, and managed to see that Morgana had almost forced him against the wall of the ridge. He needed to get rid of her sword.

"Ahatian!"

The handle of Morgana's sword brightly flamed yellow as the fire heated it, burning Morgana's hand again. She cried out in pain again, and retreated backwards, cradling her hand again. Her hand was completely red as it burned, and she knew that it would leave a definite scar. She looked from her injured hand, to Merlin, with a murderous look on her face.

She grabbed at her waist with her uninjured hand, reaching for the dagger at her belt. She swung her left arm in Merlin's direction, letting the blade fly through the air towards him.

"Culter, ic pe hate!" Merlin yelled, stopping the blade just in time, as it flew back at Morgana.

Morgana quickly brought up her hand to stop the dagger, and it flew back at Merlin again, this time he was unable to stop it.

He heard the blade pass by his left ear as he ducked away from the blade. He somehow managed to get around Morgana, and was now using his magic to fight off every fire ball that she managed to through his way. She was non-stop: as soon as one left her hand, another left her other hand, raining down on Merlin. He succeeded in forcing every one of them away from his person, and safely to the other side of the clearing, where none of the Knights would get hit by them.

He finally saw an opening, and pushed hand palm forwards at the witch. Morgana was forced off her feet and towards the ground. This time Morgana seemed to be more effected by the magic, taking more time to regain her footing.

Merlin grabbed at his side and stumbled back slightly as Morgana tried to stand. The magic was forcing him to use more energy than he had in him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

When Morgana finally stood, he had removed his hand from his side, not wanting to show weakness and make it easier for her.

"Baerne!" "Astrice!".

Two beams of fire sent at each other, heading straight into each other's path of fire. The two forces met in the middle and rebounded, the blast drawing the attention of everyone around them, and the two beams were bounced back towards their creator. Both Merlin and Morgana were thrown across the clearing, a few soldiers and knights who were close enough were also forced to the ground by the force. The fighting had stopped for a moment, watching in shock as neither of the magic users moved.

Then they could hear them moaning in pain, and knew that they were both still alive. Merlin shook his head to try and sort out the fuzziness that the explosion had caused in his head, with no success. If anything, he made it worse. Both Merlin and Morgana tried to scramble to their feet, but were unable to. They both had an extreme ringing in their ears, a dizziness settling over their minds, their vision hazy. Morgana nearly got to her feet, but had to place her hand back on the ground to stop herself from falling back down. She found the dagger that had bounced off the ridge wall and grabbed at it as she tried to straighten up.

Merlin closed his eyes and concentrated on clearing his hearing and getting rid of the dizziness – which was made harder by the excruciating pain coming from his side. He finally managed to stand, although unbalanced, and held his hand tightly against his side, no longer standing tall.

He finally opened his eyes, and quickly found his eyes readjusting and starting to settle again. But the throbbing in his stomach still persisted, forcing him to double over in pain, scrunching his eyes together in discomfort.

"MERLIN!"

He span around quickly as he heard Arthur's voice shouting through the clearing.

"Svelt, Merlin!" cried Morgana's voice, sending the dagger through the air faster than he could see it.

His magic reacted instinctively, changing his eyes to a brilliant golden colour. The dagger stopped inches from Merlin's face, and was sent flying back in Morgana's direction, faster than before.

He saw Morgana double over as the dagger struck her, a look of agony crossing her face.

She stumbled backwards, both hands grabbing at the handle of the blade. Slowly, she managed to pull it out of her stomach, and dropped it almost immediately. Her mouth opened but no sound came, as if she was unable to believe that it had happened. Her hands reached for her stomach again, covering up the wound, as if it would rewind time and undo the whole thing.

She looked up from her stomach to give Merlin one last murderous glance, before looking back down to the ground, thinking quickly.

"Bedyrene ic! Astyre ic thanonweard!".

A cloud of smoke swept its way around Morgana, concealing her completely from sight, and dissolved in the air to reveal nothing.

Morgana had left.

Seeing her flee, every soldier that was left turned tail and ran from the area. There were some, like the last remaining sorcerers, that wanted to stay and keep fighting, but a few choice words from James and Lael, and they were quickly sent through the air and collided with the nearest trees.

Merlin looked around at the remaining Knights, and his friends. They were all still alive, and unhurt. He managed to smile to himself at that thought, before he suddenly found himself collapsing forwards towards the ground. He landed on his knees, and clutched his side, crying out in pain.

He finally fell to his side, lying on the ground as he heard his friends voices calling out to him. Then the blackness decended.

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><p><strong>For those who forgot – Sir Ector is the man that Arthur asked to return up to the castle in order to send word to the rest of the Knights, and tell them to get down there to defend Camelot. <strong>

**Left this chapter a little bit ambiguous, not sure whether or not to have the Knights later find Morgana's body somewhere, or have her still alive. What do you guys think?**

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><p><strong>Translator (lots this time):<strong>

'**Forp fleoge!****' – taken from the show, episode 6 of the fourth season, means – '****Fly forth!****'.**

'**Ablinn du; forlæt du nu!****' – taken from the same episode as above, means – '****You, leave off; you, surrender now!****'.**

'**Ahatian!****' – borrowed from the show, The Moment of Truth, Season 1, means – '****become hot!****'.**

'**Culter, ic pe hate!****' – borrowed from the show, Goblin's Gold, Season 3, means – '****Dagger, I stop you!****'**

'**Svelt, Merlin!****' – borrowed from the show, A Remedy To Cure All Ills, Season 1, means – '****Die violently, Merlin!****'**

'**Bedyrene ic! Astyre ic thanonweard!****' – sort of borrowed from the show, it's actually 'ús' instead of 'ic' but the former means 'ús' means 'us' and 'ic' means 'me/I', so I swapped them :D, means – '****Conceal me! Guide me away from here!****'.**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**nycorrall – **YEAH! Thanks :D It's really great to hear that! – or read it, whatever lol XD

**ReadingRaven019** – I know! Wow! I'm on 207, that's amazing! Thanks! Hope you liked it!

**Jovial Squirrel** – thanks! Hehe, I really want to see Merlin completely BA! on the show! Thanks for reviewing!

**asdf **– thanks! I know, I don't think I could have him going off at him – that would have been awkward when Morgana and the soldiers finally showed up, lol :) hope it wasn't a let-down :D

**PartlyInsaneEvilKitty – **hehe, thanks! Hope you liked this too!

**PhiloctetesTheOwl **– lol, I know! :P hehe :D haha! Hope you liked it!

**Cupcakemaster99 **– thanks! Hope you liked it, and thanks for reviewing! :D

**Riley **– I loved those sites! Hehe thanks for reviewing!

**DeathtehKidKat **– hehe, well there is at least one more chapter, but there ain't any more fighting scenes to look forward to :) thanks for reviewing!

**Niyin **– hehe, glad to hear that XD thanks! I'm glad to hear that you like this! And you're totally right – I must have been daydreaming when I wrote that sentence lol hope you enjoyed it!

**Rawr52** – thanks! Lol XD hope this wasn't too much of a wait :)

**Thanks again to everyone! Absolutely amazing! Over 200 reviews! You guys are fab :D**

**Xx**


	31. Epilogue

**A/N – Short and sweet?**

**Sorry about the length of time between this and the last chapter. My sister came home on Friday – haven't seen her since last July, and I wanted to spend some time with her (not that I got to do that what with the two exams I had to study for this week!). Due to this, this chapter is a little rushed, I really wanted to get it out, cause I'm not going to get another time to do this – unless you want it in May.**

**Anyway, enough of my complaining about the unfairness of life XD **

**Hope you guys enjoy this! And thanks to those who have been with me throughout the whole story! You guys are amazing! Most of you review pretty much every chapter, it's amazing! :D**

**Thanks!**

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

**When told, through their usual banter, that Arthur would not survive a week without Merlin, he predictably decides to give Merlin the week off to go visit his mother, in order to prove otherwise. Merlin immediately decides to not look a gift horse in the mouth, and takes advantage of the situation to get some free time. Little does he know that there are surprises in store for them both. With both friends and enemies surrounding him, Merlin will have to tread carefully if he wants to protect both Arthur and his secret.**

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><p>Arthur had remained at Merlin's side with Anya and Gaius as long as he could. The moment that Merlin had fallen to the ground, he had frozen.<p>

He couldn't help but keep replaying the moment in his head, wondering if there was anything that he could have done to prevent it from happening. He should have been more alert, should have seen that Morgana had been coming at him. Instead Merlin had had to shout out to warn him about the impending danger – making himself a target.

Once Morgana had fled, he had had to leave Merlin with Anya and Kiran, while he and the others left to take care of the last remaining sorcerers and warriors that were still fighting around at the front of the castle. There were only a few left by the time that they had gotten there – Kilgharrah had successfully managed to scare them off. The Serkets had retreated back in their nests in the forest, and the Wyverns had finally flown off, back to wherever it was that they had come from.

Gaius had revealed to the worried group of Merlin's friends, that there had been some sort of poison on the blade that Morgana had used – having had put it there in order to infect Arthur. The physician told them that he did have the antidote, but Merlin would still be in pain when he finally woke up.

They had spent a worried two weeks without Merlin, and had been beginning to think that the warlock would never wake up.

During that time, Arthur had tried to remain by the warlock's bedside as long as he could, in case he were to wake up, but he had other duties to attend to as well. He had ordered a scout party to go out of Camelot and attempt to find Morgana – whether alive or dead. Even some of the druids had volunteered to help go with them to try and find her.

Throughout those two weeks, still nothing of the witch had been found. Gaius had asked what her wound was like, and knew that there would be a thin chance of her still being alive – unless she had managed to find someone else to perform the magic to heal her, but even that was unlikely seeing as nearly all sorcerers from her side of the battle had died or fled Camelot completely.

When Merlin did actually wake up, another week later, Arthur was asleep in a chair up against the wall, his head lolled back against the wood of the back of the seat, his mouth slightly open – and snoring.

Merlin chuckled quietly, alerting Anya that he was awake. Merlin told her to keep quiet for a moment while he thought about how best to enjoy the moment.

"Unda, suscitatio him" he whispered, his eyes glowing gold.

Suddenly, Arthur jumped awake, as a large splash of water hit his face, jolting him forwards in seat, looking for some sort of attacker. Seeing both Anya and Merlin laughing hysterically halted any comments that he had ready.

Merlin was awake.

He had made his way over to Merlin with a 'angry' look on his face. The look that Merlin knew meant that he was trying to look angry, but just couldn't quite manage it.

"Merlin…" Arthur started, trying to keep the 'angry' look in place.

"Told you that you snore," Merlin interrupted. "Ask Anya. She heard you too, you know".

Arthur looked away from the warlock trying hard not to smile, let alone laugh, looking anywhere but the other two people in the room.

"He's got a point, Arthur, you snore really loudly" Anya replied, with emphasis on 'really', still smiling widely.

Arthur shook his head defiantly. "I. Do. NOT. Snore!".

This only caused the two magic users to dive into further laughter at his expense.

The door to the physician's room opened as their laughter was joined with the Prince's.

"Oh, we missing the party?" asked Gwaine, as he lead the rest of the Knights into the room. "How you doing, buddy?"

"I'm fine," Merlin started. "A little bit of a headache, but that just might be Arthur".

"Oi!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Gwaine answered. "He can be a right royal pain in the-".

"Gwaine, I promise you, you do not want to finish that sentence" Arthur warned, causing more laughter throughout the room.

It took another week for Merlin to feel ready to get out of bed again. The pain in his side had still not receded completely, but it was a lot better than it had once been.

It was another two weeks before the latest scout party had returned with some news. They had managed to find Morgana's hut in the forest, and it looked as if she had been there lately – there had been blood on the floor, and things had been knocked about the place as if someone had gone in and left in a hurry. But they had found no body.

They said that there was so much blood, that it was impossible for Morgana to still be alive.

Arthur swore that he would not rest looking for her until he had confirmation that she had died.

When Arthur was finally crowned King, the first thing on his list of thing to change was to allow magic within Camelot – he had been true to his word. Since the battle, all of the druids had remained within Camelot to help with the repairs and such things, but most of them wanted to return to the forests again – leaving only those who actually had family within Camelot.

With the new law passed, the druids left the city, but promised that they would not go too far. Anya and Thana had decided to group together and keep their groups within Camelot, just in the forest beyond the city. That way they would be close if they were ever needed. James and his group had to return to where they had previously came from, but promised to return once they had gathered the rest of their clan – as some had remained behind in the other Kingdom. Finally, Lael's druids had decided to remain on the Isle of the Blessed, wanting to be closer to their ancestors and the magic that had helped bring them where they were.

Merlin was stood out on top of the battlements when Arthur finally found him, watching Anya and Thana's druids leaving the city.

"Going to miss them?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah," Merlin started, with a sigh. "They are my people, after all".

"Well they won't be that far away," Arthur replied. "We could go and visit them whenever we felt like it".

"You can't. You're the King now, remember?"

"I'm King. I do what I want".

"Still the prat, I see" Merlin laughed.

"And you're still the idiot".

"You know, I resent that!" Merlin argued, facing the now King. "I did tell you that you couldn't last a week without me!"

"You've got to be right at some point-".

"I'm always right, Arthur, you just refuse to listen to me".

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Wow, nice come back, Arthur" he laughed, hearing the King laugh with him. "Hay, did you know that Kiran finally proposed to Anya? They're going to get married in a couple of months, when James and his people get back. We'll definitely see them then".

"He did? Finally, I was wondering when those two were going to get together" Arthur replied. "Speaking of proposals, I was wondering if you'd help me arrange one for Gwen".

"Finally!" Merlin exclaimed. "What's been taking you two so long? You're a hypocrite talking about Anya and Kiran like that, you two are the exact same in that sense!"

"The two situations are completely different".

"Not really, I mean when you think about it…"

"Merlin, I swear I might give you two weeks off to visit your mother if you don't shut up…"

"Hmm, we can't have that. Something's bound to happen".

"Probably" came the amused reply.

Something was always bound to happen when Merlin was involved.

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><p><strong>Translator:<strong>

'**unda , suscitatio him'**** – translated into latin, means – '****water, awake him'**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**sweety2010 - **thanks for the advice, and I am going with that, I'm just thinking about working that into another story - find her body in the beginning or something :D thanks for reviewing!

**sarajm - **Thanks! great idea, thanks! :) thanks for reviewing :D

**Aldryne21 - **hehe, yup! thanks a lot! :D hehe, I love those two! two of the best characters ever invented! thanks for reviewing!

**PhiloctetesTheOwl - **so great to hear that! - well, read it, but you get what I mean :D I love BAMF!Merlin too :D lol hi** risenmitten! **hehe! thanks for reviewing!

**Riley - **happy to hear it! glad I didn't let you down with it :D thanks for reviewing!

**Tegan Ganmore - **sorry! Omg! can't believe you dedicated yourself to reading this in two hours! great to know that you enjoyed it that much :D hope you liked this chap :D That's really great advice btw! Thanks :D I'll definitely keep that in mind if i decide to do any more fics :) I tried to picture them saying the lines in the beginning, but then I just stopped because I started feeling rushed to get a chapter up - I think I'll have more chapters ready before publishing a story next time :D (only had a few already types up before I published this one :) Thanks so much for your review! Don't worry, I love criticism - unless it's completely unhelpful, haha! glad you enjoyed it! thanks again :D

**nycorrall - **I know - cliffie! my god, I cannot stop with them! haha! hope you enjoyed this one :)

**ReadingRaven019 - **Thanks lots! great to know that I didn't completely screw up the battle scene haha! :D thanks for reviewing!

**DeaththeKidKat - **i know, it's all down hill from here XD hope you liked this little epilogue :D

**HplcMlVr - **thanks! it's really good to know that the battle scene wasn't rubbish :) I was really worried about that! thanks again for reviewing!

**rawr52 - **hehe, well as long as it's only a little XD great to hear that you liked it! :D as for the greater story, it depends on how I plan the sequel - if there is one :D thanks for reviewing!

**musicnlyrics - **haha! Lol, so many people just wanna see her die! it's rather amusing! I still can't believe that Aithusa did that! I mean, i know that the writers need her alive, but still! I yelled at the telly when Aithusa did that! hope you enjoyed it! :D thanks again!

**Thanks to everyone that has ever reviewed and favourited this story! It's really kept me going with the writing :D There may be a sequel, I just need to work out a few kinks - like the inspiration! XD Thanks again to everyone :)**

**Xx**


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